How To Tame A Player
by mystique-jewled
Summary: Masen University. Home to the nation's best science program, the western seaboard's largest electron microscope, and the world's biggest womanizer. I'm Bella Swan, and this is where I learned How To Tame A Player.
1. Chapter 1: Meet The Player

**Summary: **Masen University. Home to the nation's best science program, the western seaboard's largest electron microscope, and the world's biggest asshole. I'm Bella Swan, and this is where I learned How To Tame A Player.

**How To Tame A Player**

**Chapter 1: Meet The Player**

**(Define) Meet: Verb. Come in to the presence or company of (someone) by chance or arrangement.**

Masen University.

Home to the nation's best science program, the eastern seaboard's largest electron microscope, and the world's biggest asshole.

I wasn't expecting college to suddenly transform boys in to men, but I sure as hell expected more than a slap on my ass and a catcall the first time I walked across campus. And yes, that did actually happen. Of course, not from this asshole I've been talking about.

Oh no, my asshole took jerk-ery to a whole new level.

I had the pleasure of meeting him in the very first class of my college experience: Integrative Biology. Talk about a smooth transition.

The hall was fairly small compared to the pictures I'd seen of halls in other colleges. I sat in one of the back few rows so I could blend in well enough. It was mainly a freshman class, so there weren't many people talking. People were still in that awkward, I'm-going-to-be-super-nice-to-you-because-I-don't-know-anyone phase.

Not all of the seats were full and I was pleased to find that only a few people had the energy to make the trek to the back rows where I was seated. I had the table all to myself.

I pulled out my notebook and my pencil case and set it on the table in front of me. I unzipped the pouch and pulled out a few of my colored pens and set them in rainbow order beside my notebook in true OCD fashion.

Yes. I'm a college student and still carry a pencil case full of colored pens.

I'm _that_ girl.

When the Professor walked in, I quickly sat up in my chair and leaned forward. The Professor was a man who looked to be in his forties. He had brown hair peppered with strands of gray and though his eyes were smiling, his mouth was stern.

He looked like one of those teachers that tried to look strict for the benefit of the class, but generally failed to garner that fear that was induced naturally when a teacher was _actually_ strict. I smiled slightly to myself.

This should be interesting.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm Professor Banner." He began, his voice carrying over the room. "Welcome to Integrative Biology. I know many of you have chosen to take this course because you think it'll be an easy A." He smiled evilly. "Think again."

I looked down at my notebook, struggling to hold back a laugh. It looked like this man had taken one tip too many from the mean Professor in Legally Blonde.

Trying to hide my amusement, I opened my notebook and flipped to the first page as he began to describe the course syllabus. I clicked open my dark blue pen and wrote the date neatly in the corner.

Just as I headed the page of notes, a loud bang followed by a deep chuckle tore me and the rest of the class from our thoughts. Professor Banner paused in the middle of his speech.

I looked up to see that someone had just entered the class. The man was tall, well-built, and his hair was the strangest mix of red and brown. His eyes were a startling emerald-green color and his jaw was so sharp, I wondered if I could crack a watermelon on it. He wore a tight, long-sleeved black shirt that clung to his biceps and broad chest. His jeans sat low on his hips and the smirk on his face told me that he knew what it did to women.

He stopped abruptly and glanced around, suddenly realizing that he was, in fact, late. He licked his lips and leaned backwards to close the door behind him.

"Mr. Cullen." Professor Banner greeted. I narrowed my eyes.

They knew each other?

"Professor Banner." The man greeted back with a small grin. He ran a hand through his messy hair and I could almost hear the female population of the room sigh in response.

"You're late." The Professor said sternly, but his eyes were amused.

_Seriously?_ _This guy was late to his first freaking class and his record with the teacher was still Windex clean?_

I glanced sharply back to the man who chuckled and shrugged. He glanced towards the rest of the class and his stunning, emerald green eyes met mine. A small smile spread across his face and his eyes twinkled. I frowned and quickly looked away. My mind was immediately flooded with memories of taunts and teasing.

Inside my chest my heart sped up in anxiety. No one wanted to spend time with the 'All-American-Girl' story gone wrong unless they wanted something.

I was a huge advocate of not judging someone until you knew them, but in that moment, I couldn't help but feel an irrational dislike for him. All my life I'd had to put up with snotty, rich kids who didn't have to work hard to get where they wanted. Teachers loved them and let them get away with everything. I thought that would have changed by the time I got to college.

"Well, take your seat." The Professor said, his voice sounding resigned. As the man made his way to the stairs, Professor Banner continued his lecture.

I sat uncomfortably, forcing my hands to write down the key elements of the syllabus that I'd have to research when I got back to my dorm tonight. I heard his footsteps get closer and closer and my heart pounded in my chest.

_Please don't sit here, please don't sit here, please don't sit-_

"Hey."

_Damn it._

I glanced briefly in his direction and shot him a stiff smile before quickly looking away. He dropped his books on the table and plopped down in the seat beside me.

I heard him chuckle at my lack of response. He casually stretched his arm across the back of my seat and I huffed quietly in annoyance, twirling the pen between my fingers.

I guess he didn't know anything about personal space.

The bench creaked slightly as he leaned in closer to me. "I'm sorry, am I bothering you?" His voice was like velvet.

My eyes snapped to him, startled to find his amused, green eyes far closer to me than I would have liked. I'm ashamed to say that I might have kept my eyes on him for just a tad longer than was appropriate. Noticing my gaze, I saw his lips quirk at the sides. Then he licked those very lips, perhaps slower than necessary for my benefit.

Shit. He was _very_ attractive.

Not that I'd noticed.

Trying to regain what little bit I had left of my pride, I rolled my eyes and quickly returned my attention to Professor Banner's lecture. He was still talking about the syllabus, but I'd rather listen to his droning than inflate the ego of the man sitting next to me any further.

And for a while, he let me. He leaned back in his chair and though I could feel his gaze on me, he made no further move to disturb me.

I took studious notes as Professor Banner moved on from explaining the syllabus to actual course material. I was pleased to learn that I knew the basics of what he talked about. My greatest fear had been that I would sit down for my first class and know absolutely nothing.

The clock on the wall loudly ticked by the seconds as Professor Banner continued to speak. Every once in a while my eyes would flicker to the side to see that the man's gaze was still on me.

He hadn't even bothered to open his books. He simply stared at me, his expression somewhere between amusement and confusion.

It was unnerving. A part of me wanted to beg him to look away so I didn't have a panic attack on my first day in college. My pride stopped me.

Suddenly, his fingers shot out and grasped a lock of my hair and tugged.

"_Ow!_" I hissed quietly, jerking my hair out of his grasp and staring at him in shock. When he just stared at me with an amused smirk on his face, I quickly looked away. As subtly as I could, I shifted further from him in my seat.

He immediately inched closer and grabbed at my hair again.

This time, anger preceded my shock.

Tugging my hair out of his grasp, I spun around to face him. "What are we, five?" I whispered furiously. "Are you going to nail me with a spit-wad next?"

"Oh, I'd love to _nail_ you." He deadpanned.

Damn players. Nothing changed.

I huffed angrily and turned away from him. "Jerk." I muttered under my breath. I hoped that he would return to sitting silently beside me. I preferred his creepy gaze to this blatant harassment.

Unfortunately, I had no such luck.

"What's your name?" He asked, leaning in to me again. His minty breath washed over me and it took every bit of resolve I had left in me - which wasn't much, mind you - to ignore him and continue writing.

I saw him grin in amusement out of the corner of my eye. He leaned forwards further and blew gently on the side of my neck. Exhaling in sheer annoyance, I grit my teeth and quickly drew my hair to the side to cover my neck. He simply grinned and continued to blow in my direction, sending strands of hair flying across my face.

_No. I would not react to him. I would not give this asshole the pleasure of knowing that he was getting to me._

Abruptly, the blowing stopped. I was just about to turn to see if he'd decided to give up when I felt his index and middle fingers lodge themselves in my side. I yelped loudly and jumped in my seat, clutching at my side and staring at him with wide eyes.

The class went silent.

I glanced around and saw that everyone had turned in their seats to stare at us. Heat rushed to my cheeks when I saw the attention that his imbecilic actions had attracted. Nearly all the girls in the class were glaring at me as though I had somehow brainwashed the jerk into interacting with me.

_Put away the claws, ladies. I don't want him._

Professor Banner stared at me with raised brows and a small frown. "Are we disturbing you?"

I was positive that my face looked like an overripe tomato as I shook my head. "No, Professor Banner." I said quietly.

My breathing grew heavy in anger knowing that I hadn't done anything wrong - it was all this moron sitting by my side. My blood boiled as I remembered the casual way in which Professor Banner had overlooked the asshole's tardiness, but now, when said asshole made me embarrass myself in front of the whole class, _I_ got blamed?

When Professor Banner went back to talking, I turned viciously towards the idiot sitting next to me. I shot him a glare filled with so much anger that I was sure if looks could kill, he'd be six feet under by now.

It didn't faze him in the least.

He smirked. "Tell me your name." He whispered.

"Go fuck yourself." I snarled back quietly.

"Nah, there're people that'll do it for me."

I could see him biting his lip to hold back his chuckle when I rolled my eyes. He thought he was funny. With all the people he had here eating out of his hands, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.

He had things handed to him on a silver platter; he was good looking, teachers loved him, girls loved him, and he had an ego the size of Alaska.

If he knew what was good for him, he'd stay away from me.

**AN: So, what do you think of Jerkward and Sassella? Yes, no? If you do like it, there'll be a consistent updating schedule for the first time in mystique-jewled history. Chapters will be up every Saturday starting next week. **

**Be warned: though this story has it's lighthearted parts, it does also have some darker, angst-filled depths, so read with caution. This story is also very personal to me, so please learn to understand some of the decisions Bella makes. As annoying as they may seem sometimes, they're also as realistic as I can make them.**

**A huge, huge, huge 'thank-you' to Fallingsnow Winter for pre-reading and being the absolute best motivation that a writer could wish for! And have you seen the banner she made? She's just too talented.**

**Follow me (though I don't say much) on twitter: mystiquejewled and Facebook: Mystique Jewled!**

**Review, review, review and I'll see you next Saturday!**


	2. Chapter 2: Snub The Player

**Chapter 2: Snub The Player**

**(Define) Snub: Verb. Rebuff, ignore, or spurn disdainfully.**

Professor Banner glanced in the direction of the clock. "Well, there's your first class. Before you leave, I want you all to know that this will be an intensive course." I heard a few tiny groans around me at his statement. "I've seen the downward spiral of kids who choose not to take this course seriously, so here's my advice: split the work. You'd be wise to pair up with someone you trust so you can study together. It may even be the person sitting next to you."

I felt the jerk's gaze boring in to me from the side, but resolutely ignored it. I scoffed softly. If he thought he was going to be working with me for the rest of the course, he was seriously delusional. We'd only been sitting next to each other for one period and he'd already scratched up my reputation with Professor Banner.

Who knew what he could do with a whole year?

All around us, people started grabbing their stuff and standing up to leave. Taking their cue, I flipped my notebook closed and capped my pen.

As I did so, the jerk cleared his throat and shifted closer to me. He eyed me up and down, his green eyes twinkling in amusement. Good God, did he find _everything_ funny?

"So, I don't think I introduced myself. I'm Edward Cullen." He accompanied the introduction with a panty-dropping grin.

I faltered for a second, distracted by his dazzlingly white teeth. When his grin widened, I quickly regrouped. I picked up my other pens and started placing them back in my pencil case in reverse rainbow color order.

My eyes flickered in his direction to see that he was eyeing my meticulous pen-packing with a curious frown. "So, how are we going to do this?" He continued after a small pause.

I raised a cool eyebrow. "How are we going to do what?"

He shot me a crooked grin. "Come on, you heard Banner. He told everyone to work together with the person sitting next to them, i.e., you and me."

I let out a humorless laugh. "No, I believe he phrased that as more of a suggestion."

"Well, he said it'd be wise. We wouldn't want to ruin your perfect, teacher's pet reputation now, would we?" He taunted, inching closer. I didn't miss the way he deliberately pressed his rock-hard thigh up against mine.

I wanted to slap him.

"Like you care about my reputation." I snorted.

"Sure I do."

"Oh, you do? Did this thoughtfulness come before or after you humiliated me in front of the whole class with your imbecilic poking?" I snapped.

"Come on. You liked that." He leaned in, his breath washing over my face like a cloud of mint. His eyes were smoldering - yes, _smoldering_ - as they took a trip down to my lips. "Secretly, you want my hands poking you. Everywhere."

_Oh, hot damn. _

My entire body was begging me desperately to say 'screw it' and let him do whatever he wanted with me, but my pride got in the way. My stupid, selfish, completely useless pride.

I shoved away from him and got up. "Look." I slammed my palms on the desk and faced him with narrowed eyes. "You do your work and I'll do mine. Stay out of my way and we won't have any problems."

Without waiting for a response, I grabbed my pencil case and counted to make sure I had all of my pens. When I was positive that all of them were present and accounted for, I reached down for my notebook. I froze when my fingers only came in to contact with the wood of the table.

"Looking for something?" Cullen asked mockingly. My eyes snapped over to him. There he was, leaning casually against the desk, his asshole fingers clutching _my_ notebook.

"Hey!"

"Isabella Swan." He read with a smug grin, his eyes at the top of the book where I always printed my name in case it got lost. "Guess you won't have to tell me your name, after all."

"Seriously, like you haven't done enough harm today? Give that back!" I demanded, jumping for my book.

The tall bastard simply smiled wickedly and held it above his head. "Come and get it, shorty."

"I don't have to come get it, that's my property! You give that back right this second, you insufferable _asshole_!" I snarled, clinging to the front of his surprisingly soft shirt and clawing for my poor notebook.

He simply laughed and watched with amused eyes as I jumped up and down, making a complete fool of myself. When it was clear that I was never going to get it from him with my tiny frame, I let out a cry of frustration and shoved away from him. My hair was falling in my face and I was pretty sure I looked borderline psychotic.

I glared at him furiously. "Give. It. Back." I said through gritted teeth.

He frowned, feigning upset. "I didn't hear a 'please' in there."

_Calm down, Bella. You've only been in college for a little over an hour. Don't do anything that'll get you kicked out._

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "_Please._" I opened my eyes. The ire-filled gaze I was sending his way would have sent any sane man running for the hills.

He clearly wasn't sane because he simply smiled that stupid smug smile of his and took a step closer to me. "There. Was that so hard, now, Swan?" He teased, lowering his arm. He leaned in closer so that his face was mere centimeters from mine.

My eyes narrowed when his gaze wandered back to my lips. I snatched the book from his hand and grabbed my pencil case, clutching both protectively to my chest.

"You're a pig." I spat, shoving past him and making my way down the stairs.

His laugh followed me as I made my way out of the classroom, seething.

~•~

After Edward Cullen had successfully ruined my very first class in college, I found it hard to keep my emotions in check. The infuriating image of that smug grin and that stupid, attractive face kept making its presence known in my head.

My blood was boiling and even my love for science couldn't keep my head in the game. It was pretty much a day of classes wasted.

I wasn't normally a violent person. I was shy and kept to myself. It was just something about his arrogant, stupid face and his annoying good looks…I wanted to slap him.

By the time I got back to the dorm, my angry musings had grown from a strictly inner monologue to an out-loud tirade which got me a raised eyebrow from my dorm mate and fellow science geek, Alice.

She straightened up in her chair and watched warily as I entered, threw my bag down on my desk, and sat down on the edge of my bed with a huff. She cleared her throat and offered me an amused smile.

"Good day?" She asked, curling the ends of her jagged, stylish bob around her finger.

I shot her a stormy look. Normally, with people I'd only met a couple days ago, I tried to put my best foot forward. But considering the fact that Alice had introduced herself by asking me to buy tampons for her because it was an emergency, I figured that we were past that awkward, new-friend stage.

She sighed and pushed away from her desk. "What's wrong?" She asked, making her way toward me.

"I don't really want to talk about it, actually." I mumbled, grabbing my pillow and clutching it to my chest.

"Do I need to take you shopping again?" She shot me a stern look. I shot her a horrified look, still traumatized by the last time that I'd entered a mall with her. I think some of my sanity was still in the changing room of an H&M. She smiled, pleased with the effect of her words. "So tell me what happened."

I scowled at my toes. "You mean '_who'_ happened. Edward _freaking_ Cullen, that's who."

"_What?_" Alice squawked. I glanced up, surprised to see her staring at me with disbelief. "You met Edward Cullen?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You know him?"

"Yeah." She snorted. When I stared at her blankly, she shot me an incredulous look. "Everyone on campus knows who he is, Bella! Him coming to Masen was huge news. How do you _not_ know who he is?

"Um, because I'm a freshman?" I frowned. "Speaking of which, so are you. How do you know about him?"

"His Wikipedia page." Alice said matter-of-factly.

"He has a Wikipedia page?" I gaped at her. "And you read it?"

"Well, when the first thing you hear about a college is this one guy, you kinda want to know about him, don't you?"

I shot her a skeptical look. "The first thing you heard about Masen was their biology program."

Alice rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "After that."

"Well, either way, he's a complete tool. And if he actually took the time to create a Wikipedia page for himself, then he's an even bigger douche than I thought he was." I concluded with a scowl.

_Seriously, what was the deal with this guy and his ego? Did he actually not know how much of a turn-off it was, or was he just pretending to be oblivious?_

"He didn't create it himself!" Alice laughed, like the notion was ridiculous. She obviously hadn't met him.

"Then who did?" I asked, curious. Alice shrugged. "So, what's on this page of his?"

Alice grinned and grabbed her laptop, plopping down next to me on my bed. "Let's see."

**AN: Since everyone was so nice about the first chapter, I decided to post the second today instead of next Saturday. So I hope you enjoyed it!**

**In case you're wondering, Bella is a virgin but there's a reason for that, which will be explained later in the story. Also, most eighteen-year-olds going in to college are virgins. Edward just doesn't have standards, but that will also be explained later in the story. Bella will always stay sassy, though! :)**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You make my day/year/life.**

**A billion thanks to Fallingsnow Winter for pre-reading!**

**Follow me (though I don't say much) on twitter: mystiquejewled and Facebook: Mystique Jewled.**

**Review, review, review and I'll see you next Saturday!**


	3. Chapter 3: Know Thy Player

**Chapter 3: Know Thy Player**

**(Define) Know: Verb. Be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information.**

Alice typed rapidly in to the search bar and I watched as the screen suddenly filled with the standard Wikipedia page.

There he was in a picture in the right-hand corner, his smug grin firmly in place. He was neatly shaved and his hair was almost…tame. His green eyes were twinkling and I had no doubt that he was a heartbreaker even then. He was wearing a suit for some reason. I squinted to see what the caption read.

_'Cullen at the E.M.C. Save the World Charity Event in 2010.'_

Alice immediately started reading out the statistics, saving me from dwelling on the fact that he was at a charity event. "'Born in 1993 in Chicago Illinois, 19 years old, has an older brother-'"

"Just let me read it." I said quickly. Being the control freak that I was, I could never process information when someone read it out to me. Alice shrugged and turned the screen towards me.

A quick scan of his 'Achievements' section informed me that he was some kind of basketball superstar along with his brother. He'd been offered a scholarship that he turned down for some reason that he'd never revealed to anyone.

"Huh. I didn't see this part before: 'The second son of notable philanthropists Carlisle and Esme Marie Cullen." Alice read out loud. "Well, that explains why he has his own Wikipedia page. His parents are Chicago royalty."

My curiosity got the better of me and my eyes wandered over to the 'Personal Life' section. It stated, in no uncertain terms, that Edward Cullen was the definition of a playboy. It was a lot more kind to him than I would have been, claiming that he'd simply been "seen with multiple women", but I could read between the lines. The man was a player.

And I hated him even more for it.

There was a small knock on the door. I barely looked up as Alice walked over to answer it. "Yes?"

"Hey, is this Isabella Swan's room?"

My eyes snapped up to see a tall man standing at the door. He had sandy-blonde hair, baby blue eyes and a nice smile. A smile that he was currently directing fully at little Alice.

She giggled a little and nodded, straightening up. I raised my eyebrows. I never thought I'd see the day when I heard Alice _giggle_.

Deciding to interrupt their interlude before I was scarred for life, I cleared my throat and pushed the computer off my lap. "I'm Isabella Swan." I informed him, standing up and offering him a small smile. "Did you need something?"

He shifted his smile to me and shook his head. "Just have something to deliver."

Alice raised an eyebrow at me as the man started digging around in his pockets. _'What did you order?'_ She mouthed, with furrowed brows.

_'I didn't.'_ I mouthed back, equally confused.

"Here we go." The man said, looking satisfied as he pulled out a crumpled, yellow sticky-note.

I cautiously took the note from him and unfolded it as Alice peered curiously over my shoulder.

_Meet me by Franklin's fountain at nine tonight, Swan. I promise I'll make it worth your while. (; ...And I mean studying, of course. _

_-E_

E. Edward. Edward Cullen. Alice gasped loudly and I could almost hear my teeth grinding against each other in anger.

"You said you'd just met him." She hissed in my ear.

"I _did _just meet him!" I whispered back, furiously.

"Then why is he asking you out?" She demanded.

"He's not!" I paused. "Is he?"

The messenger man cleared his throat, staring at the both of us in amusement. "So, do you have a message back?"

"Yeah, tell him that he's freaking deluded if he thinks that he can just summon me somewhere, especially after acting like a complete douche just hours before!" I snarled, reminders of 'don't kill the messenger' completely wiped from my verbal filter.

If he was, in any way, insulted by my shouting, though, he didn't show it. His eyes widened, but other than that, he simply grinned and reached in to his pocket again. "I like you. I didn't think we'd need this, but I guess he knew what he was doing."

He pulled out a second sticky note that I slowly accepted, eyeing him suspiciously. Alice was breathing down my neck as I opened it, dread already pooling in my stomach.

_If you don't turn up, I'll just have to come over to your room. Think your bed's big enough for two?_

_-E_

No way. He could not invade my personal space like that. I glared up at the blonde messenger, who was staring at me expectantly. "This is blackmail, you know? I could have him reported!"

His grin widened. "I think you'll find that it's easier just to appease him. He doesn't give up when he knows what he wants."

"He doesn't even know me." I snapped.

Messenger man shrugged, his blonde hair falling into his eyes. "I'm just warning you. Unless you want him barging in to your room tonight, you'll say yes."

Alice shot him a sugar-sweet smile. "If you'll excuse us for a second." She said, grabbing my arm and pulling me off to the side. "Are you crazy?" She hissed. "Say 'yes'!"

"What? Why?" I demanded.

"Um, because he's hot?" She shot me a 'duh' look.

"Don't."

"Oh, come on, Bella." She whined, pouting her lips. "You guys would be so cute together."

"Yeah, until he dumps me for the next girl." I scoffed. "Alice, the guy's a total player. He's a jerk, too. You should have seen the way he got away with being late for class today. I hate people like that."

"Oh, let it go, Bella." Alice rolled her eyes. "So, he's a little conceited. What guy isn't?"

"My kind of guy."

Alice raised a devilish brow and smirked. "Well, if you're not going to go, then I guess you're okay with him coming over here."

I frowned and let out a small growl. Damn pixie.

Messenger man cleared his throat. "So, what should I tell him?"

I let out a frustrated cry. "Tell him he's a tool!" I shouted, stomping over to my bed and grabbing a pillow to bury my face in. With the absence of a door to slam, this was the next best method to act like a petulant child.

I heard messenger man's chuckle followed by Alice's voice assuring him that I would be there, sealing my fate.

~•~

I remembered seeing Franklin fountain on my campus tour. I'd actually been meaning to head out there to see it again because of how pretty it was. I just wished it was under better circumstances.

There was a slight breeze and I shivered slightly as I walked across the cobblestone pathway towards the fountain. The water wasn't running like it was during the mornings, so it was unusually quiet.

The fountain itself, consisted of a statue of an angel in the middle. The sculpting was very European. The angel looked up at the sky, his hands clasped in prayer. Around him were shoots where, normally, water sprung up around him.

I glanced around me to see if Cullen was anywhere to be seen. I pulled out my phone to check the time. 9:01.

He was late.

Was he really going to keep me waiting after he'd blackmailed me out here? I stowed my phone back in my pocket and decided to give him two more minutes. If he didn't show by then, I was out of he-

"Hey there, Swan."

I shrieked and whirled around, my heart pounding like I'd run a marathon. My fist instinctively shot forward, not knowing or caring who it was aimed at.

"Woah!" Green eyes widened and a large, firm hand grasped my fist before it could make contact with a face. Breathing hard, I finally allowed my eyes to adjust after the fear-induced haze that they'd been covered in.

Bronze hair and broad shoulders entered my view. Then that incredible jaw and those photo-op-worthy cheekbones. My eyes slowly ran upwards to see sharp, emerald eyes staring back at me in slight confusion.

"Are you normally this jumpy?" He smiled slightly, but he still looked surprised at my reaction.

Embarrassed that he'd seen me freak out like that, I quickly pulled my fist out of his grasp. "Only when assholes order me to meet them in dark places at night." I scowled, trying to hide my unease.

He offered me a crooked grin, shoving his hands in to his front pockets and rocking back and forth slightly. "I may be an asshole, but I'm an asshole that you said 'yes' to, Swan." He said smugly.

"Only because you blackmailed me! And I never actually said 'yes' to you."

He frowned for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Well, we'll correct that soon enough." He replied, a slow smile taking the place of the frown.

I raised an eyebrow. "Good luck with that. The only reason I'm here right now is because you threatened to come barging in to my room."

"Keep telling yourself that, Swan." He said, with a casual smile. He deliberately brushed past me, his pinky drawing a line across the waistband of my jeans as he did. It sent tingles down my spine - much to my embarrassment.

I watched with narrowed eyes as he strolled over to the fountain and took a seat on the ledge. He looked up at me and grinned, patting the spot next to him. I narrowed my eyes.

"I thought you wanted to study." I told him. Well, I didn't really think he wanted to study, but I wanted to stay away from him as long as possible.

He raised an eyebrow. "You did?" His lips curled in an amused, half-grin.

"Well, that's what your note said."

"It did." He nodded and smiled. "Fine, we'll study. What do you want to start with?"

I rolled my eyes. "You don't even have your notebook." I said smugly, gesturing towards his empty hands.

"And where's yours?" He smirked when I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. "Face it, Swan. You didn't think we'd be studying tonight anymore than I did." He laughed at my dumbfounded look.

Five minutes in, and I already wanted to punch that smug look off his face.

This was going to be a long night.

**AN: Sooo…I updated early. I'm going to be busy all of tomorrow, so I decided to put it up now so I could stick to my schedule. Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Huge hugs and kisses to all of you who reviewed! You make my day/year/life.**

**Follow me (though I don't say much) on Twitter: mystiquejewled and Facebook: Mystique Jewled.**

**Review, review, review and I'll see you next Saturday!**


	4. Chapter 4: Loathe The Player

**Chapter 4: Loathe The Player**

**(Define) Loathe: Verb. Feel intense dislike or disgust for.**

After a few minutes of silence in which I sat upon one of the nearby benches, seething while Cullen stared at me, he finally spoke up. "Why were you mad at me this morning?"

I shot him an incredulous look. Did he seriously not know? "You embarrassed me in front of the whole class."

"Nah, you were mad at me before that." His eyes bored in to me, his lips pulled firmly in to a frown. He seemed genuinely confused about the source of my anger. I still didn't understand why he cared.

Maybe he was just too used to everyone loving him for no reason.

"I was mad at you because you came in late to class and didn't get blamed. Then, when I do something that isn't even my fault, I get in trouble."

"Let me get this straight: you're mad at me because you're not the teacher's pet for once?" He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing in amusement.

My muscles tensed at his condescending tone. "I'm mad at you because you got away with being late, you asshole!"

His grin widened. "Are you always this defensive?" His eyes twinkled. I hated how he could be so damn attractive even when he was acting like a total jerk.

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm leaving." I slipped off the bench and started walking back towards the cobblestone path.

Footsteps echoed immediately behind me. "Hey, hey, come on." He chuckled, his large hand wrapping around my wrist and pulling me back.

My hand automatically shot out to his toned stomach for balance. My breath hitched when my fingers curled against the ridges of his muscled abdomen. Even through his shirt, I could see proof of the athletic career that Wikipedia claimed him to have.

Heat filled my face and I quickly withdrew my hand from his grasp. I looked up to see him smirking. I scowled. "Why do you always have to be such a jerk?"

It was such a waste. Putting a rotten personality on such a fine male specimen should have been a crime against humanity.

"It was a joke, Swan." He said, letting out an exasperated sigh. He'd clearly never had to work this hard to get a girl to sleep with him before. "Why are you so determined to hate me?"

"Because I know people like you."

People that got spoon-fed opportunities.

"You don't know _me._" He pointed out, his brows furrowing as his eyes scrutinized my face like the answer to his questions was printed there.

"I don't need to."

His eyes widened and he barked out a laugh. "Wow, look at you. You're real tough." He paused and his eyes darkened. "Are you done acting like you aren't attracted to me?"

_He didn't just…_

My eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, come on." He stepped closer, his breath washing over me. "Don't even try to pretend that insulting me doesn't get you going." He ran the tips of his fingers down the side of my face. I was too shocked to even stop him. "Don't tell me that having a guy come after you isn't flattering. And _definitely_ don't act like you aren't attracted to me just as much as those girls that stare at me in class are. If you stop with that whole 'unaffected girl' act right now, I assure you this night will be a lot more pleasant for both of us."

He just stared smugly at me as I gaped at him. His fingers were still on the skin of my jaw, surprisingly warm for such a cold-hearted jerk. His emerald eyes flickered between my eyes and my lips. He was clearly waiting for me to swoon and give in to him.

Inside me though, white-hot rage was burning dangerously close to the surface. "You think you have me all figured out, don't you?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, I do. You, supposedly, don't even need to get to know me before you judge me, so why can't I do the same?"

"Well, if I'm so obvious, why did you even blackmail me out here?" I snapped.

He raised an eyebrow. "You know why I got you out here." He didn't even try to hide the way he looked me up and down.

My fists clenched. "So, not only did you assume that I was attracted to you, but you thought I'd be putting out mere hours after meeting you." My statement came out as a question as I stared at him in disbelief.

He simply stared at me, digging his hands in to his pockets. "What did you expect?"

"From you?" I chuckled humorlessly. "Nothing less, actually. I've really got to learn to trust my gut when it comes to assholes like you."

He scowled at me. "Why do you have to be so fucking difficult?"

"_I'm_ difficult?" I repeated incredulously. "Well, fine. Since I'm so 'difficult', I won't bother you with my presence any longer."

Turning on my heel, I strode away from him as fast as I could. This time, he didn't stop me.

When I got back to the dorm, I was going to murder Alice for persuading me to meet the complete jerk-wad I'd just left behind.

~•~

After the worst non-date I'd had in my life, the last thing I was looking forward to was the one class I had with the jerk. Two days later, however, the time did come. I was a nervous wreck the night before, wondering how I would be able to keep my calm if he did or said something stupid to me in class.

Luckily for me, I came up with a plan at the last minute.

"Hey, Mike." I smiled brightly at the blonde-haired, baby-faced fellow freshman that was walking to the same class as me.

He turned back and an ear-to-ear grin filled his face. "Hey, Bella!" He said eagerly. He slowed down so that we could walk side-by-side.

I'd met Mike Newton during orientation. He seemed really nice, if not a little over-enthusiastic. He kept ruffling his hair and blushing every time I talked to him. I'd been afraid that I was making him nervous until Alice told me that he had a crush on me. At first, I denied it, but now I could kind of see it.

It was strange. I'd never had guys act like that with me, almost as if they were trying to impress me. They usually just assumed I was easy, or they just didn't bother trying to talk to the Forks train-wreck.

Well, at least Mike was sweet. It was definitely better than the bastard-overload I'd had to endure with Cullen.

"What do you think about our Professor, huh?" Mike said casually. "You like him? He seems really strict to me."

"We've only had one class, but I guess he seems okay. Teachers usually try to intimidate you on the first day."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Listen, Mike," I said hurriedly, working to put my plan in place. "Would you mind if I sat next to you today? I just think we'd… um… work well together."

His smile was so wide that I was worried he'd heard me wrong. "Sure, Bella! I was actually going to ask if I could sit next to you last time, but…you know. Jessica." He mumbled uncomfortably.

I chuckled a little. Jessica Stanley was another freshman we'd met during orientation. She was pretty and relatively nice. She'd set her sights on Mike almost immediately. I felt a little bad for Mike when I remembered the almost predatory gaze Jessica had shot him.

Maybe I was doing him a favor too.

As we entered the hall, I was pleased to see that Cullen had yet to arrive. With Mike still talking about what he thought of the class, we walked up to the back few rows. I slid in to the bench and set my pencil case and notebook on the table.

I unzipped the pouch and pulled out my colored pens, setting them by my notebook in rainbow-color order.

"Why do you do that?" I heard Mike ask curiously. I turned to see him peering over my shoulder at my pens.

"Do what?"

"Organize them like that. Why don't you just grab the first one you find?" He seemed a little amused.

I felt a little annoyed at his question but pushed it down. It was a normal question to ask. "I just like it like this." I answered simply.

I glanced up, wanting to put an end to to this particular conversation. I immediately regretted it. When I looked up, it was in to narrowed green eyes. Cullen, who was surprisingly on time, stood near the door with the same blonde-haired man that had delivered his summons. Cullen's eyes flickered between me and the occupied seat next to me.

I had to suppress a smirk. He wasn't getting his way today.

He whispered something quickly to his friend, his eyes never leaving mine as he made his way towards us. My eyes narrowed. What did he think he was going to do?

As he walked, I saw every female he passed crane her neck to glance at him. I wanted to scream at them and tell them to stop inflating his ego. However, as much as I hated myself for it, I couldn't blame them for staring at him.

He was wearing a pair of dark-wash jeans that sat perfectly on his hips. They encased his muscled thighs and drew attention to his height. His forest-green sweater showed off the color of his eyes and hugged all the right places. The rolled-up sleeves allowed a small glimpse of a tattoo that started in the middle of his forearm.

Perfect. Just perfect.

Of course he would unknowingly be sporting my weakness. Ever since I saw the tattoos Brad Pitt sported in Snatch, I associated them with everything…man.

I swallowed as he came closer. His eyes flashed as he shifted his gaze to Mike.

I glanced over to see that Mike had turned a little pale under the sudden scrutiny of a six-foot-something, irrationally angry man. "H-hey, Edward." He tried to manage a smile.

Of course he knew him. It seemed that I was the only one that was left in the dark about this campus celebrity.

Cullen wasn't in the mood for pleasantries, though. He glanced at the name written on the corner of one of Mike's notebooks. "Michael Newton." He read, clenching his fists as a muscle in his jaw ticked. He smirked at him. "Well, Newton, you want to get the fuck out of my seat?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." He stammered, immediately grabbing his books.

"Hey, wait a second." I grabbed Mike's arm, pulling him back in to the seat next to me. Cullen's eyes flickered to me and I glared at him. "There aren't any assigned seats. He can sit wherever he wants."

He shot me a cold smile and turned back to Mike. "Do you want to sit here, Newton?" His tone dared him to say 'yes'.

Mike shook his head rapidly with wide eyes. He turned and shot me a quick, frightened smile. "Sorry, Bella. Maybe next time."

He got up and Cullen quickly clapped a hand on to his shoulder, stopping him. "There'd better not be a next time." He said quietly, with narrowed eyes.

Mike grimaced and nearly sprinted away from him.

"No, Mike, wai-" I began hurriedly, but it was no use. He was already halfway across the room and didn't look like he planned on stopping anytime soon.

Great. I was stuck alone with Cullen. Again.

**AN: So, this chapter sure took Edward's assholeness to a new level, huh? But once again, this is really reflective of something personal to me, so…please forgive our arrogant player. :)**

**HtTaP has had a really busy week! It was rec'd on both FicSisters and The Lemonade Stand (thank you so much, Midnight Cougar!)! I just have to say that I am shocked and beyond flattered. If you haven't checked out their sites, please go do so! They're both incredible and have led me to some of my favorite stories. **

**WELCOME ALL YOU NEW READERS! I hope I don't let any of you down!**

**As always, huge hugs, kisses, and love to Fallingsnow Winter who lights up my day with her banners and compliments. This story would not be here, if not for her.**

**Thank you billions to all who reviewed. You make my day/year/life. **

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**Review, review, review and I'll see you next Saturday!**


	5. Chapter 5: Ignore The Player

**Chapter 5: Ignore The Player**

**(Define) Ignore: Verb. Refuse to take notice of or acknowledge; disregard intentionally.**

I stared at my desk for a second, my teeth grinding against each other when I realized that Cullen got his way, after all. Hell no. I grabbed my stuff and got up, making to leave when Professor Banner walked in.

"Settle down and take your seats." He called, his eyes traveling around the hall to make sure that everyone did as he said.

I looked around to see no one else moving. If I switched seats now, I'd just be calling attention to myself and I needed to mend my reputation with Banner already.

Damn it.

Annoyed at his awful timing, I reluctantly sank back to my seat. I could hear Cullen chuckling darkly next to me. His arm was comfortably stretched out behind me and his legs were extended and crossed at the ankles. His casual posture had me wondering if he was even here to learn.

He always got what he wanted and that pissed me off to no end. I violently uncapped my pen and listened as hard as I could to what Professor Banner was saying. It was the only way I could stop myself from punching the annoying brat sitting next to me. For a while it worked.

Until I felt Cullen move closer to me. He leaned in until I could feel his chest against my arm. I felt shivers travel up and down my spine at his close proximity. His lips were so close that they may as well have been touching my ear.

"So who was that idiot?" He asked quietly. There was a hint of something I couldn't quite place in his tone.

I closed my eyes tightly, willing myself to focus on what Professor Banner was saying. I would not give him the pleasure of responding. I wanted desperately to tell him that the only idiot here was him, but I bit my tongue.

He waited for an answer, chuckling softly when I didn't respond. I felt his lips twist upwards in to a smirk. How the hell could he be enjoying this? What did I have to do to not give him what he wanted?

I heard a cough somewhere to my left and looked up to see a pretty redhead from a few rows down glaring at me. Her eyes were flickering between Cullen and judging by the curl of her upper lip, she was not happy in the least. I felt a strange, unpleasant feeling erupt in the pit of my stomach at the way she was staring at Cullen.

I shouldn't have cared. After all, he was an asshole. I should have been happy that she was willing to lay claim to him, but all I could feel was an irrational anger.

Luckily, Cullen seemed oblivious to this new development. He simply leaned in further. I'm ashamed to say that I was pleased to see the redhead's eyes narrow in to slits.

"Is that how you're going to play it? You're going to ignore me?" He questioned.

I stayed silent, giving him his answer. My pen kept moving, automatically recording what Professor Banner was saying, even though I couldn't comprehend it at the moment.

Cullen moved in a little closer. "I have my ways of finding out, Swan. Trust me. You can't hide anything from me."

_Asshole._

I shot him a glare before quickly returning to my notes. With a small chuckle, he retreated to his side of the bench. He maintained his distance for the rest of the class.

Forcing myself to take advantage of the lack of distractions, I threw myself in to what Banner was saying. My classes really did mean a lot to me and I wasn't going to let Cullen ruin it for me.

When class was finally over, I capped my pen and spent extra time meticulously packing my things. I was hoping that Cullen would take the hint and leave along with the rest of the students.

I had no such luck.

He simply sat there, staring at me.

Sighing, I got up and clutched my things to my chest. When I tried to slide past him, however, he was instantly on his feet, blocking my path. He gripped the desk, his hands on either side of me. He literally caged me in.

"Why are you ignoring me?" He asked, looking a little amused and a lot frustrated.

I tried to focus on his question and not how good he smelled. "Why, have you never had people ignoring you before?" I snarked back.

His eyes narrowed. "No."

"Well, get used to it. Because after that night by the fountain and how you treated Mike, I don't think that you and I will ever have a civil conversation again." I stated angrily. I didn't stop there, though. The words kept rushing out of me and I couldn't hold them back. "You're so conceited and you have these expectations for people like they're just supposed to fall over their feet trying to get to you. Well, you know what? I'm breaking the pattern."

He stared at me for so long, I wondered if I'd finally rendered him speechless. "You call him 'Mike'?" He finally demanded, his eyes darkening.

"Oh my God, out of everything I said that's all you got?" I asked, incredulously. Was he being obtuse on purpose?

"He's a tool. You could do so much better than him." He stated, a scowl on his face.

"You're impossible." I shook my head, not bothering to tell him that Mike was not, and most likely never would be someone I considered in a romantic light. Maybe if Cullen thought I had a boyfriend he would finally back off.

Judging by how he'd reacted this morning though, my hopes weren't high.

Cullen opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, the redhead that had been eyeing us throughout class sauntered up to him and placed a possessive hand on his bicep. She must have been waiting for the hall to empty before she came in for the kill. Up close, she was even prettier than I'd thought. Her hair was long and looked like flames down her back. Her eyes were hazel and would have actually looked nice if they weren't currently narrowed in to slits. She was slim and her chest was _a lot_ larger than mine.

I hated her.

"Hey Edward, I wanted to ask you something about class." She pouted, fluttering her lashes. It was an act of such desperation that I couldn't stop myself from staring at her in disbelief.

I glanced back at Cullen to see him staring straight at me. The fact that he wasn't paying attention to her sent a thrill through me even though it shouldn't have. My subconscious and I were going to have to have a serious talk later about what feelings were and weren't appropriate when it came to Edward Cullen.

I couldn't quite make out the expression on his face, but it seemed a little pleased. A small smirk filled his face and I fought to keep a neutral expression on my face. "Yes, Victoria?" He asked, still staring at me.

Victoria's eyes flickered from Cullen to where his hands held me in place. A scowl filled her face. "It's sort of private, actually." She said, glaring pointedly at me.

What the hell could be private about class?

It took everything in me not to snap back at her. That would make it look like I actually cared about what the skank said. I wasn't willing to give Cullen that pleasure.

Fixing a tight smile on my face, I glanced up at Cullen. "Well, it looks like you have your hands full." I pried his hand away from the desk to my side and slid out of his grasp.

"Finally! I thought she would never leave." I heard Victoria simper behind me.

My jaw clenched. You're not jealous. You're not jealous. You're not jealous.

~•~

That afternoon, Alice and I headed over to a small café near the campus. We'd tried it a week ago and really enjoyed the atmosphere. We knew it'd be a perfect place to study or talk. So we grabbed a booth in the back and sat down with our coffees and, in Alice's case, cheesecake.

"Mmmm." Alice moaned, closing her eyes and hanging on to the spoon of cheesecake that she'd just placed in her mouth. "I swear, if their biology program hadn't won me over, this right here," She pointed to her raspberry cheesecake. "Could have done it alone."

I laughed at her and her knack for hyperbole. I took a small sip of my cappuccino, my thoughts still a bit of a jumble ever since the interaction with Cullen and the whor-_Victoria_ this morning.

I looked up to see Alice staring at me expectantly. "So how did class with the jerk go?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

I shrugged. "I managed to ignore him for most of the time. It didn't stop him from annoying me, but at least I didn't flip out like I thought I would."

"Hold on a second, I thought you were going to get Mike to sit with you." Alice furrowed her brows.

I laughed, humorlessly. "I did."

"So, how…?"

"The asshole scared him in to giving up his seat."

Alice's eyes widened and she exhaled softly. "Damn. That's hot."

"Alice!"

"What? He's an attractive guy!" Alice defended, taking another bite of her cheesecake.

"I thought you were in to the messenger guy." I said, referring to the handsome, blonde man that I'd seen with Cullen just this morning.

"Oh, I am." She assured me, her eyes getting a little dreamy. "But since I haven't been able to actually find him again, I have to live my romance vicariously through you."

There was no romance between me and the asshole. "That's ridiculous." I shot her a look.

"It is not!" Alice exclaimed. She paused and grinned. "I found out his name, by the way. His name is Jasper. How hot is that?"

"So hot." I agreed.

Alice rolled her eyes at my sarcasm. "Anyway, Edward Cullen just let it go after you ignored him?"

"Why are you calling him by his full name?" I laughed. "He's a student, not Johnny Depp."

"He's still a campus celebrity." Alice widened her eyes for emphasis. "Now, stop avoiding my question. What did he do after you ignored him?"

"Well, he waited until after class to interrogate me. He stopped me from leaving."

"I bet you loved that." Alice chuckled. She knew how much I needed to be in control. "How'd you get away?"

"A bimbo saved me." I scowled a little at the memory of the beautiful redhead.

"'Bimbo', huh?" Alice looked amused. "Could someone be a little jealous?"

I shot her a look. "Don't."

"I'm just saying. I mean, if she got you a chance to get away from a guy you supposedly hate, shouldn't you be calling her an 'angel' or some shit?" She rationalized.

"Can't you ever be on my side?" I demanded.

"Now, what fun would that be?" She grinned.

I shook my head in amusement and glanced down at my notebook. I needed to get some work done. A hand shot in to my view and quickly grabbed the notebook. "Hey!" I exclaimed as Alice tucked it behind her back. "Give that back, Alice, I need to study!"

"Enough studying."

"You're not the one here on scholarship. I have to keep my grades up." I defended.

Alice shot me a sharp look. "You'll get great grades. All you do is study. You need to take a break, Bella. There are times when you have to just say 'fuck it' and relax." She grinned when my shoulders sagged. She knew she'd won. "Here, take a chill pill." She cut off a bit of her cheesecake and offered it to me.

I laughed. "No, thanks. I think you orgasmed a little on that spoon."

She grinned. "It's _that_ good." She wiggled her brows. She paused before shooting me a wicked smirk. "And if you gave him a chance, I think Cullen would be, too."

My smile fell.

**AN: So, can I just say 'wow'? The reaction to the last chapter was UH-MAY-ZING. I really couldn't believe it. So, what do you think of Victoria? Is she a threat?**

**Endless love to Fallingsnow Winter who makes sure I don't leave huge plot holes everywhere.**

**Thank you so, so, so, so much to everyone who read and reviewed! You make my day/year/life.**

**Follow me (though I don't say much) on Twitter: mystiquejewled and Facebook: Mystique Jewled**

**Review, review, review and I'll see you next Saturday!**


	6. Chapter 6: Resent The Player

**Chapter 6: Resent The Player**

**(Define) Resent: Verb. Feel bitterness or indignation at (a circumstance, action, or person).**

The next morning, I woke up to the Queen ringtone that my sister, Rosalie, had set up on my phone. Alice groaned loudly from her bed as the music filled the room.

"Bella, get the door." She mumbled, digging the heels of her hands in to her eyelids.

"That's my phone, Alice." I grumbled, my hands fumbling along the bedside table and feeling for the plastic. "We don't have a doorbell and even if we did, it wouldn't be singing Under Pressure."

"Shut up." She moaned, burying her face in her pillow. "It's too early for you to be mean."

My hand finally clamped around the phone. "It's ten-thirty, sweetie." I responded, glancing at the clock on the wall. "Rose?" I spoke in to the phone.

_"Finally."_ I heard Rosalie respond, sounding annoyed and a little worried. _"What took you so long?"_

"It's Saturday. I was sleeping." I replied, stifling a yawn. "We can't all be early-risers like you, now."

Rosalie was the only person in my family that I still associated with. Technically she was only my half-sister but those semantics didn't bother me when my real family sucked so much. Rosalie was beautiful. She had long, blonde hair and startling, blue eyes. She had a figure that men drooled over but she really couldn't care less. Her personality took some getting used to, but we were closer than Siamese twins. She was the one person I trusted the most.

Being apart from her was the only thing that had made me hesitate when considering Masen University. When deciding on what colleges to apply to, Rosalie and I had agreed that I'd go to a university that was closer to her. What we didn't anticipate, was Masen giving me a scholarship offer that we simply couldn't decline. After weeks of convincing, Rosalie had reluctantly agreed to letting me study in Seattle while she stayed in California.

She was the manager of one of the most elite, high-class restaurants there, _Volterra_. I was beyond proud of her and what she'd been able to do despite having to be my mother, father, and big sister all at the same time.

_"Were you staying up late?"_ Rosalie demanded. _"Are they giving you that much work?"_

"No, Rose." I sighed, inwardly rolling my eyes at her ill-placed concern. "My roommate and I were watching a movie."

_"You weren't at a party, were you?"_ She asked suspiciously.

I barked out a laugh. "Yeah, right." Nerdella at a party? Please.

Rosalie exhaled. _"So, how's it going? Are your classes, okay? Are people treating you well?"_

"Everything's fine." I replied. I watched as Alice slowly got up, running a hand through her hair and yawning. She grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from the nightstand and scribbled something down, holding it up for me to see.

_Sister?_

I nodded.

Alice nodded back, still yawning.

_"I can come over there if you want, Bella. You know that. You just have to say the word and I'll be on the next flight over."_ Rosalie said. I knew she meant it.

"Rosalie, no." I said immediately. "Stop worrying about me. I'm fine, I promise. Everything's going great. I really just want you to worry about yourself for once, okay?"

Rosalie sighed. _"I guess so."_

I looked up to see Alice grinning. "Tell her about your stalker, Bella!" She shouted.

"Alice, shut up!" I hissed, glaring at her.

But the damage was done.

_"Stalker?"_ Rose shrieked. _"What stalker?"_

"There is no stalker, Rose! That's just my roommate being stupid." I scowled in Alice's direction.

_"Don't you dare lie to me, Bella."_

"I'm not! There was just this guy that was flirting with me a little but I handled it. It's over and done with." I gave her the short and easy version.

_"Bella, guys like that don't just go away. Maybe you should call the police, and-"_

"I'm not calling the police!" I balked. "Geez, Rose, he's a student!"

_"Predators can be students, too."_

"Good thing he's not a predator, then."

_"Bella…"_

"I'm serious, okay? Is he a little conceited? Yes, but he is not dangerous." Involuntary memories of Cullen threatening Mike popped in to my head but I quickly willed them away.

_"If he contacts you again, you'll call me." _Rosalie ordered.

"Fine." I let out an exasperated sigh.

Rosalie exhaled slowly. _"You know I'm just looking out for you, Bells."_

"Yeah, I know." I admitted grudgingly.

_"I've got to get going. I'll talk to you later, okay? Look after yourself."_

"You, too. Bye, Rose."

I ended the call and shook my head slightly. I got up and walked over to the bedside table next to the window. "Why'd you have to do that, Alice?" I asked her.

Alice had slumped back down in her bead, her head at the opposite end. She rolled her eyes at me. "You're the one that said you and your sister were super close. I thought she'd be interested in your love life."

"There is no love life between me and Cullen!" I groaned, running a hand through my hair. "We met, he was a conceited tool, we fought. That's it. You don't understand, Alice. Rosalie is…protective. She worries constantly about me. She's given up everything because of me. I want her to stop worrying about me and focus on herself for once. Now that you mentioned Cullen, she's never going to do that."

Alice frowned, raising herself on her elbows. "I didn't realize." She looked chagrined. "I'm sorry, Bella."

I smiled softly. "It's okay. I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to go on a rant like that."

Alice grinned. "Did we just survive our first fight?"

"I think we'll live to see an anniversary or two." I joked back.

She chuckled and flopped back down on the bed, raising her hands up to analyze her flawless, newly manicured nails. As I moved to place my phone on the nightstand, my eyes flickered out the window and what I saw made my heart pound and my fingers clench around my phone.

Leaning against one of the pillars of the opposite building, was Cullen. He wasn't alone either. Pressing against his chest with her hands wrapped around his neck, was the redhead from yesterday.

Vict-whore-ia.

What really sent my blood boiling though, was the sight of his hands on her waist. His eyes were on her as she said something animatedly and threw her head back in laughter. He never laughed back but he smiled slightly.

I felt sick to my stomach but for some reason I couldn't take my eyes off of the pair of them. A sick, masochistic part of me wanted to see how far he would take it. The part wanted to see if he were really such an asshole that he would chase me and a day later, go after another girl. My fingers wrapped around the soft material of the sheer curtain and pulled it back slightly.

Immediately, Cullen's eyes whipped upwards. Green eyes found mine. My own eyes widened when I realized that he'd caught me. I quickly yanked the curtain back in place and fell back to my bed. I huddled against the wall, as though afraid that he could still see me.

I glanced over at Alice to see her staring at me. She furrowed her brows for a second before getting up and walking over to the window.

"No, Alice wait!" I begged as she opened the curtain. But it was too late.

She squinted and then laughed. "Ah. I see." She raised an eyebrow. "Well, he certainly doesn't look too happy to see me. I guess he was looking for somebody else." She grinned over at me.

I shook my head, glaring down at the pillow I'd placed in my lap. "He doesn't care one way or the other." I spat. "Or did you not see the trollop he was with?"

"Trollop?" Alice repeated, amused. "When did we take a detour to the eighteenth century?

"That's what she is." I defended. "You didn't see her yesterday. I mean who barges in between people when they're having a conversation?"

"You said you wanted to get away from him."

"That's not the point."

"Okay, Bella." Alice smiles.

She flopped back on her bed and stared at the ceiling, acting as though nothing had happened. I watched her for a few seconds, annoyed that she wasn't agreeing with me.

I raised a hand to rub my chest where the ache resided. I frowned, the horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach refusing to go away.

~•~

"Oh my God, Bella, it's him." Alice breathed, clutching my arm tightly.

"Who?" I asked, subtly trying to pry my arm out of Alice's grip.

"My guy." She hissed, jerking me in the direction of the familiar blonde.

He had a notebook in his hand that he was squinting in concentration at. At least he studied even if his friend didn't. I forced myself to shove away the thought of Cullen as Alice led me towards his friend.

"Hey!" Alice chirped, smiling widely.

He looked up and a wide grin spread across his face. "Hey, um…"

"Alice." She offered. "And you're Jasper, right?"

"Yeah, uh," He looked surprised, glancing briefly over at me. "How did you know that?"

"A lot of people know you around here." She laid the flattery on thick.

Jasper chuckled. "Thanks, I guess." He ran a hand through his hair.

"Oh, and you remember Bella, right?" Alice jerked me forward.

"Of course." Jasper grins, his brows furrowing a little. "I thought your name was Isabella, though."

"It is." I said hurriedly, shooting Alice a subtle glare. The last thing I wanted was for Cullen to know what my friends called me. That would be…just a little too much.

"Okay." Jasper said, tucking his free hand in his pocket. He chuckled. "I heard you gave Edward a hard time the other night."

"Only because he's a total jerk. No offense." I hurried to add when I realized that I was talking to his friend. If I burned bridges with Jasper now, Alice would kill me. Luckily, she simply stifled a laugh at my recovery.

Jasper shrugged. "None taken. I know how Edward can be with women. I must say though, you're holding up really well."

"Thanks." I said awkwardly. I didn't want to tell him that I had no intention of continuing anything with his friend and that the quality of my 'holding up' well was moot.

Jasper smiled and turned back to Alice. "What about you? Any jerks I need to fend off?" He asked, scowling playfully and glancing around as though they were lurking around her.

Alice giggled, leaning in to him, and I knew that she was completely hooked. I smiled and subtly pulled away from her to give her space.

I was happy for her. If I couldn't find a sweet guy, she might as well get her chance.

I walked back to the dorms and dug out my key. I unlocked the door and pushed it open, walking in. I frowned when I heard a small crunch. Glancing down I saw a small, folded note.

I stared at it for a full thirty seconds before bending down to pick it up. In the back of my mind, I already knew who it was from. I opened it up and read the rough handwriting on it, heart pounding.

_Go out with me._

**AN: So, not too much Edward and Bella this chapter. Don't worry – the next chapter will be full of it. Once again, go easy on Playerward (all will be explained in future chapters).**

**A billion kisses to Fallingsnow Winter, who's just the best friend one could wish for.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. You make my day/year/life. **

**Follow me (though I don't say much) on Twitter: mystiquejewled and Facebook: Mystique Jewled**

**Review, review, review and I'll see you next Saturday!**


	7. Chapter 7: Deny The Player

**Chapter 7: Deny The Player**

**(Define) Deny: Verb. Refuse to give [something requested or desired] to [someone].**

For the rest of the weekend the note lay on my desk and was treated like some sort of radioactive organism.

Every time I passed it I would cringe and eye it warily as though it were about to strike. Alice on the other hand, would simply smile slightly and shoot me a meaningful look.

She was over the moon about finally meeting Jasper but unfortunately, that didn't distract her from the date invitation left anonymously for me. It was only anonymous in theory, though. We both knew who it was from.

I was enraged when I first read the note. I'd seen him outside my window just that morning with another girl. He'd _seen_ me see him with another girl. Did he really think that sending me a cute little note would turn me around?

It wasn't even a request. It was a demand, just like his other note. It was like he thought he could just snap his fingers and I would be there. Who died and made him king of campus?

Throughout the weekend I found myself forcefully tamping down the urge to walk up to his dorm and knee him right up in his man business before telling him to stick his goddamned notes where the sun didn't shine. My scholarship and prospective college life was the only thing keeping me at bay.

It was Sunday night when I finally sucked it up and grabbed the note, walking back over to the bed. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Alice watching me carefully from her desk. I dropped it on the mattress and stared at it, pulling my legs up to wrap my arms around.

I heard Alice sigh. "Bella, it's not infected."

I shot her a dirty look. "Stop. I'm just surprised he had the nerve to pull something like this." I told her, frowning. "That's just a whole new level of thoughtlessness."

"Seriously, I think the fact that you're making so much of this means that you like him more than ever." Alice said nonchalantly, jotting something down in her notebook.

"What?" I demanded. "Are you crazy?"

"Bella, can you honestly tell me that you don't find him attractive? And don't even try to pretend that you weren't jealous when he was with that girl."

"I wasn't."

"Liar." I stayed silent and Alice smiled smugly. "Look, there's nothing wrong with being attracted to someone like Edward Cullen. Yes, he's a bit of a jerk but there's always going to be that guy that gets away with things because of his looks."

"Well, hopefully I'll be able to knock him down a few pegs before he leaves me alone."

Alice smirked. "What if he doesn't leave you alone?"

~•~

I didn't bother trying to trick Mike in to sitting with me the next day for biology. It just wasn't worth the effort. Cullen would have probably yanked him bodily from the seat and Mike was still scared shitless.

I took my usual seat in one of the last few rows and drew out my notebook and pens. I sorted them out in my usual routine before pulling out a library job application form that I'd tucked in to my notebook.

A job vacancy at the counter in the library had been advertised in a board outside our dorm. I decided to pick up an application form, knowing that there was no harm in having a little extra cash. I began to fill in my name when I heard footsteps grow closer to me.

"Swan." Cullen's voice acknowledged as he sat down next to me. There was something different in his voice today. Something else was present that made his usual confidence waver. I had to repress a snort.

He screwed up and he knew it.

I continued filling out my application and I heard him sigh. "Seriously, you're still ignoring me?"

My silence made him sigh frustratedly again. I heard him shift and saw him slide down in his seat out of the corner of my eye. He put his feet up on the desk in front of him and crossed his legs at the ankles.

I gaped at his utter lack of respect. His dirty shoes were all over the desk. _Ugh_. My OCD kicked in and I turned to face him before I could stop myself.

"Get your shoes off the desk!" I hissed.

His lips twisted in a smirk. "Why? It's not hurting anyone."

"It's about to be if you don't get them off." I threatened.

"Ooh." He widened his eyes mockingly.

I glared at him and stood. "Take them off or let me leave."

He stared at me for a couple seconds, his gaze flickering between my eyes. He seemed to be deciding whether or not I was bluffing. I must have looked pretty serious because his eyes darkened and he slowly slid his legs off the desk.

I sat down as Banner walked in the door. As he started his lecture I pushed the library application aside and focused on my notes. I wished I could push Cullen aside as easily. Just a couple minutes in he cleared his throat quietly and leaned in to me.

"You never gave me an answer."

I was about to continue with my silent policy but curiosity got the better of me. "To what?"

"My note. I asked you out."

My heart thumped loudly in my chest at the acknowledgement. I'd known it was him but his acknowledgement just made it that much more real.

"Oh, was that you?" I asked quietly, feigning ignorance.

He snorted. "Come on, you knew it was me."

"No, actually I didn't." I lied. "After all, why would it be you? What reason do you have to ask me out? I think I made it pretty clear that we would never be able to be civil with each other."

He chuckled. "Well, we're not tearing each other's throats out right now so I'd say that's progress." I rolled my eyes as he continued. "Besides, civil's boring. You never hear someone say: 'damn, she was a _civil_ fuck.'"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, it's a good thing we're not going to be having sex, then."

He fixed a somber look on his face and nodded. "No."

"No." I agreed.

"Definitely not." His lips twitched in amusement.

I stared at him for a second before returning to my notes, forcing myself to remember how hard I'd worked to get in here. I couldn't afford to waste this opportunity. For a few minutes the only sound between us was the scribbling of my pen.

That is, until he leaned in again. "Psst." When I didn't answer, he poked my shoulder. "_Psst._"

"What, Cullen?" I said quietly, not looking at him.

"Can I have a piece of paper?"

I stopped writing. "Why don't you bring a notebook to class?"

He shrugged. "Not worth it."

I sighed and turned to the back of my notebook to rip out a piece of paper. I tried to make it as quiet as possible, but it still got a couple glances in my direction. He reached out for the paper, but I quickly clamped a hand down on it.

"That'll be two cents."

His eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

"Two cents for the paper. The notebook cost me six dollars, there are four-hundred pages, so one page is about 1.5 cents. Round up." I said smugly.

"You're joking." He stared at me in disbelief.

I stared back at him silently. Inside, I was insanely pleased at having stunned him. I really could care less about the money, but the look on his face was _so_ worth it.

He shook his head with a small chuckle. He reached in to his pocket and pulled out two pennies, sliding them across the desk. I smiled sweetly and passed him his paper.

"You're insane." He whispered as I went back to my notes.

"Then stop talking to me."

He was silent for a while. "If only it were that easy." He finally mumbled.

He leaned down to pick up a fallen pencil on the ground. I forced myself not to dwell on the meaning of his words as he pulled his paper towards him and started scribbling something on it.

I successfully went the rest of the class undisturbed and wondered if I should buy him a notebook to keep him occupied for the rest of the year. Peace would be worth six dollars, wouldn't it?

As Banner finished up his lecture I started packing away my stuff and glanced briefly at Cullen as he sat up and pushed his paper aside. He leaned backwards and pulled his arms behind his head, stretching.

My eyes widened as the movement pulled his short-sleeved shirt taut against his biceps. The tattoos running down his upper arm were clearly visible today. The tattoos were indecipherable, intricate designs that looked insanely masculine. I swallowed and forced myself to return my attention to my pencil case.

My gaze wandered over to the paper, curious to see what had kept him away from disturbing me the whole class. I was surprised to see that the whole paper was covered in drawings. And as much as it hurt to admit, they weren't the kind of scribbles that you found in the margins of the notebooks of high school students. There were designs and swirls and shading in separate corners that somehow came together beautifully.

It was art, for sure.

Suddenly a large hand obscured my view of the paper. I looked up guiltily at Cullen who was grinning knowingly at me.

"It's rude to stare, you know."

"I think that expression was meant for people, not drawings." I swallowed.

He followed my eyes as they wandered back to the paper. "Impressed?" He asked smugly.

I scowled at him. "For fear of making that ego of yours any larger, I'm going to say 'no'."

He laughed. "Liar. It's okay, you know. You can compliment me once in a while."

"No, thanks." He watched as I pushed past him.

"You never gave me an answer to my question." He called out.

I stopped and sighed. "What question?"

"The one on the note."

I raised my eyebrow slightly. Could he not ask it in person? "No."

"'No' to what?"

"No, Edward Cullen, I will not go out with you."

**AN: Hope all of you enjoyed that E/B interaction! Do you like tattoos as much as Bella (and I) do?**

**Thank you to all of you beautiful reviewers! You make my day/year/life. A couple of you asked if there will be a HEA. Yes, there will.**

**To that guest reviewer who keeps reviewing just to tell me that he/she hopes I get AIDS and die, I'm going to stop going back and deleting your reviews, because you're really not worth it. **

**HtTaP has been rec'd on The Lemonade Stand again in the TLS Nursery! WOW. I am so honored to have my story amongst all the great fics rec'd on that site.**

**On another note, I've been reading a fic lately that I just **_**have**_** to recommend: "Sins of the Father" by bethaboo. It's an absolutely incredible story with great writing. I'm completely hooked. It's complete, too, so you don't have to wait on tenterhooks for the next chapter. Here's the summary: ****Bella Swan breaks free from her mother's influence and is desperate to prove her music blog speaks for her generation. Edward Cullen is an Irish punk rocker with a dark past. When they collide, nothing will ever be the same. AH Mature.**

**Love to Fallingsnow Winter!**

**Follow me (though I don't say much) on Twitter: mystiquejewled and Facebook: Mystique Jewled**

**Review, review, review and I'll see you next Saturday!**


	8. Chapter 8: Beware The Player

**Chapter 8: Beware The Player**

**(Define) Beware: Verb. Be cautious and alert to the dangers of.**

Gun to my head, there was a part of me that enjoyed having the attentions of a man.

Not just any man either. It was almost unfathomable to have someone as attractive as Edward Cullen following me, but it was also flattering. I would never admit any of this out loud though. And if someone asked me about it, I would deny, deny, deny.

Because the fact was that Edward Cullen was still the biggest asshole I would ever have the displeasure of coming across. He irritated me to no end and my skin still prickled at the gall he had talking to me so casually after I'd seen him with another girl.

I registered that these angry - not jealous - feelings were totally irrational but they just gave me more ammo to fire against Cullen. Any emotion that made me wary of Cullen was fine by me. I needed all the help I could get.

It would be great if my emotions were on my side.

My mind was completely preoccupied as I walked in to my café that afternoon. I'd never wanted this to happen.

I'd wanted to be completely focused when I came in to college, and the last thing I needed was the temporary affections of someone who was sure to leave me the minute another pretty girl came along. I'd seen enough of how love could screw up someone's life.

I walked up to the line-less counter, barely noticing what was going in around me and placed the order for my much-needed coffee fix. The barista offered me a lollipop-sweet smile and told me the price. I pulled out some crumpled bills in my back pocket and moved to hand them to her when I saw that the barista's eyes had suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Here, let me pay for that." The voice was all-too-familiar.

_Oh, no. Not here, too. _

I closed my eyes and sighed before turning around to face him. Just as I'd suspected, green eyes twinkled down at me. He smirked when I scowled up at him.

"That's not necessary."

He cocked his head to the side and offered me a playful grin. "Oh, come on, Swan. We have class together, we've fought a couple times, you've insulted me…I think we know each other well enough for me to buy you coffee."

"I'm perfectly capable of buying my own coffee." I told him succinctly.

I heard some sniggers behind him and shifted my gaze curiously to the group of guys sitting at the table near the door. They looked vaguely familiar - I think I'd seen them around campus.

They must have been Cullen's friends. They were all staring at the pair of us with shit-eating grins across their faces. One of the guys winked at me when he noticed my gaze.

I frowned.

Noticing my diverted attention, Cullen glanced behind him. "She still not giving in?" A brunette with bright blue eyes called out, smiling widely.

Cullen glared daggers at him. As if they had their own code, the brunette quieted. The rest laughed loudly and pretended to engage in a conversation of their own to appease Cullen. When Cullen turned back to me, though, their stares immediately returned to us.

"Ignore them." Cullen told me through gritted teeth. "They're just a bunch of dicks."

"Aren't they your friends?" I asked, bemused.

Cullen frowned. "No-"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but are you going to finish with your order?" The barista asked sweetly, her eyes flickering between Cullen and I.

Before I could speak, Cullen stepped forward and thrusted a ten-dollar bill towards the barista. "Yes, she is."

A big, silly smile spread across her face when Cullen looked at her and she giggled as she punched some buttons on the cash register without looking. The register suddenly sprung open, hitting her in the gut. I winced as she grunted in surprise.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, concerned.

She blushed deeply and nodded. "Yes. I'm so sorry about that." She mumbled.

Poor girl. She might have treated Cullen just like every other girl in the college did but I still felt bad for her. I mean, she wasn't slutty like Vict-whore-ia.

"Hold on a second, you're not paying for my coffee." I protested, halting the poor barista's movements and glaring at Cullen.

"Yes, Swan, I am." Cullen looked rather amused at the way this was going.

The barista looked like a deer in headlights as she glanced from Cullen to me. It was a good thing that the shop was nearly empty or we'd have some seriously angry customers behind us.

Cullen stared at me for a long time and I returned it with a glare, refusing to back down. "Fine." Cullen said finally, withdrawing his hand and tucking the ten dollar bill back in his pocket.

I smiled smugly and slid the bills in my hand across the counter. The barista nodded and finally placed my order, all the while sneaking peaks at _the_ Edward Cullen leaning against the counter.

I had to admit, in another tight t-shirt that showed off his inked muscle, he was pretty breathtaking. I forced myself not to think about that as I moved over to the pick-up counter after receiving my change. I could almost feel him following me.

A part of me wanted to say 'screw it' and just accept Cullen's offer for a date. It was extremely tempting, especially when he looked so good. But I knew that if I said 'yes', then that would be the end of it.

When I fell, I fell hard. Edward Cullen was the last person in the world I needed to be falling hard for.

_Focus on your scholarship. Focus on why you're here. _

I saw him bend down out of the corner of my eye. When he came back up, his brows were furrowed as he stared at a white sheet in his hands. He glanced at me as I picked up my coffee.

"You're applying for a job at the library?"

My eyes snapped to the paper in his hands. The application must have fallen out of my bag. "Hey, give that back!" I grabbed for the paper, but he held it out of reach.

"Careful." He nodded towards the coffee that was sloshing precariously against the sides of my cup. He grinned when I scowled at him. "At least let me walk you to your table."

I snorted. "If it makes you feel useful." I turned on my heel and walked towards the back of the shop where my favorite spot was.

"Why do you like sitting back here?" Cullen asked curiously as I sat down on the comfy chair next to the wall.

Before I could stop him he plopped down on the chair across from me. I sighed, resigning myself to the fact that this afternoon, I would have to accept Cullen's company.

"Because it's cozy. And quiet."

"I've only ever been out front." He said conversationally.

"That's because you're an attention whore."

He snorted. "How am I an attention whore?"

I rolled my eyes. "Please, can you honestly tell me that you don't like girls treating you like you're some sort of God just because you're hot?"

A wide smile broke out on his face. "You think I'm hot?"

My eyes widened. "That's not what I meant."

"Oh I know, it's just what you said." He grinned. "And that means you think it, just a little."

"No, I don't."

"Face it, Swan." He placed my application down on the table and leaned backwards. He shot me a smug smile. "You're attracted to me."

I glared at him. "I. Am. Not."

He watched me for a few seconds, that damn smile of his never wavering. "Will you go out with me?"

"No." I said immediately.

"You will." He said confidently. I guess he'd transformed his surprise at someone finally rejecting him in to denial.

I sighed and set my coffee down. "I'm not that girl, okay?"

"What girl?"

"The 'what-if' girl. The girl that falls in love with some random guy that comes along and gives her the time of day, even when she knows that he's not right for her. Then when the guy leaves her, she spirals into all this depression and medication and lives the rest of her life wondering what could have happened if she'd just never met that guy."

"You have a very pessimistic view on life." Cullen looked beyond amused.

"It keeps me safe from guys like you." I countered, instantly becoming defensive.

He frowned and his eyes darkened. "You don't have to fucking protect yourself from me. I'm not toxic."

I was taken aback at his suddenly harsh tone.

He breathed deeply through his nose and shook his head. He finally looked up at me as he stood. "I may be an asshole, but I would never hurt you." He said coldly.

I knew that a lot of things I said to him weren't nice but I may have crossed the line with my last statement. He wasn't some sort of criminal and it was wrong to place him in the same category as my father without properly getting to know him. I couldn't judge him off of a few less-than-ideal encounters.

I swallowed and cleared my throat. "I'm sorry, Cullen. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean it." I told him honestly.

He stared at me for a few seconds, his brows furrowing. He slowly nodded and made to turn around. I returned my gaze to my coffee, wondering how a simple meeting at the coffee shop had turned in to my first apology to Cullen.

"Oh, and Swan?" I glanced up as he smirked. "Just one more thing."

Before I could process what was happening, he'd bent down, resting his hands against the arms of my chair and pressed his soft lips to mine. My brows shot up to my hairline in shock and I sat frozen, going a little cross-eyed as I stared at the bridge of his nose. I exhaled hard as I watched him pull away after a few, short seconds. I gawked at him with a slack jaw and still-tingling lips as he grinned. He reached up to brush his thumb over my lower lip.

"See you in class, Swan."

**AN: What do you think of their first kiss (even though Sassella didn't respond)?**

**Thanks to all of you wonderful reviewers (the reaction to the last chapter was great)! You make my day/year/life. I cherish every single review I get.**

**Hugs and kisses to Fallingsnow Winter!**

**Follow me (though I don't say much) on Twitter: mystiquejewled and Facebook: Mystique Jewled**

**Review, review, review and I'll see you next Saturday!**


	9. Chapter 9: Assess The Player

**Chapter 9: Assess The Player**

**(Define) Assess: Verb. Evaluate or estimate the nature, ability, or quality of.**

The next evening, I buried my face in my textbook to try and distract myself from memories of the kiss. It didn't work. I ended up reading the same sentence roughly fifteen times before giving up and pushing the book aside. I let my head fall back against the wall and sighed.

Luckily, another distraction quickly came when the door swung open, revealing an extremely smug-looking Alice.

"Oh, Bella, Christmas has come early for you." She sang with a shit-eating grin on her face. She nudged the door closed with her hip and practically pranced inside.

"What?"

"Well, I was thinking about how unsure you were, you know about Edward Cullen. So I popped on over to the admissions office today after class-"

"Doesn't your aunt work there?" I interrupted, brows furrowed.

"Yes, now Bella honey, please stay focused. So I went over there, pretending to visit my aunt." She continued. "I sat down with her and talked, you know, sucking up. Eventually I worked student records and applications into the conversation, and I got her to tell me where they were archived. Of course, it was all hush-hush. You need an ID badge and a passcode to get in to it and everything."

I shook my head. "Wait a second, slow down. Is this story going anywhere? Because Alice, I swear, if you're just telling me how your day went-"

"Bella."

"Yes?"

"Shut up and listen. So when aunt Emily was going off on her lunch break, I snatched her ID badge."

"You _what_?" I gasped.

"It's for a good cause." She waved off my shock. "Then I had to make sure that there weren't any security cameras in the hallway of the archives - luckily there weren't. This place is freaking ancient, sometimes." She rolled her eyes before continuing. "Anyway, the passcode was on a sticky note on the back of her card, so I popped the lock, got inside, grabbed the files, scanned off a copy, and _voila_!" She brandished a thick stack of papers, grinning.

I eyed her warily as I took the stack of papers. My eyes widened when I saw EDWARD CULLEN written in big bold letters on the front page after 'Applicant Name'.

"Oh my God, Alice. You didn't." I breathed.

"Oh, but I did." She smiled widely.

I stared at it for a good five seconds, my mouth agape. When I finally came back to my senses, I shook my head. "Alice, no. I can't do this. We're violating his privacy!"

"Come on, it's not a big deal. I bet you, half of this stuff is on his Wikipedia page." She reasoned.

I narrowed my eyes at her shrewdly. "Then why'd you have to sneak in to get this?"

"Because I wanted my own Mission Impossible scene." Alice rolled her eyes. "Bella, come on. There's nothing in there that's super personal. I doubt he cares whether or not people know his GPA."

I shook my head with a frown. "No, Alice. This is wrong."

She stared at me for a second before shrugging. "Suit yourself." She grabbed it and quickly flipped to the first page.

"Alice!"

"Bella, I didn't go through all that shit for nothing, okay? So either read this with me, or sit your ass down and listen while I read."

I glared at her and crossed my arms as I sat down reluctantly on my bed. She smirked and quickly glanced down. Her eyes widened as she scanned the page.

"What?" I asked, unable to stop myself.

"Well, well, Bella. Looks like you've got yourself one smart stalker." She grinned up at me. "Who knew?"

I frowned. "What are you talking about? Didn't his Wikipedia page say something about a sports scholarship?"

"No, it said that he turned that down." Alice replied absently as she continued reading. "Holy shit!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening. "The guy did eleven APs and got fives on all of them!"

My jaw dropped. I hated to admit it, but I was really impressed. I'd gotten fives on all of my APs too, but I'd only done six. And I'd worked my ass off. He must have done most of the courses on self-study to be able to fit that many in to his schedule.

"How…?" I trailed off, my brows furrowing.

Alice glanced up at me. "Looks like you misjudged him a little."

I shook my head, still a little shocked. "What else does it say?"

"Four-point-oh unweighted GPA, 2340 on his SATs, excellent teacher recommendations, all on top of a four-year varsity basketball career." She stared at me. "You sure know how to pick 'em, Bella."

I swallowed. "I didn't pick him."

Alice grinned. "Oh, I know. He picked you. My question is, what the hell are you doing still sitting here when that fine-ass specimen asked you out?"

I had to admit, at that moment, I had trouble remembering. He was clearly _not_ dumb, was insanely attractive, had tattoos, and the softest lips known to mankind. One date couldn't hurt…right?

_No, Bella. Stop right there. Stop trusting so easily._

I shook my head. "I can't go out with him, Alice. He's a player. He'll play me."

"Oh my God, Bella what is up with you and your trust issues?" Alice groaned. "Look, even if he does play you and dump you - and I'm talking worst case scenario," She added sternly. "You get back up and keep going at life the way you were. I don't understand what the big deal is."

She wouldn't understand. She would think that bouncing back from that kind of thing was easy. I couldn't blame her.

I couldn't count the number of times that I wished I had tougher skin and things like this didn't affect me as much as they did. Rosalie had gone through everything I had and she came out just fine. Why did I have to be so messed up?

I sighed. "I just can't, Alice. Please let it go."

~•~

I was heading over to the library to check out a couple books when I heard the voice I'd been constantly thinking about call out to me.

"Hey, Swan!"

I glanced up and groaned inwardly when I saw Cullen jogging towards me. He grinned, looking ridiculously attractive under the orange-ish hue of the sunset behind him. He was surprisingly alone and there were no bimbos in sight.

This was a rare moment indeed.

I sighed and came to a stop as he approached me. "What do you want now, Cullen?" I forced myself to keep my eyes away from his lips.

Was it just me or did they look even softer than usual?

He chuckled at my biting tone. What in the world did he find appealing about it? "Well you see, I was looking over stuff for class, and there were a couple things I didn't understand. I was wondering if you'd help me." He dug his hands in to his pockets and rocked slightly on the balls of his feet.

I stared at him warily. Mister 'eleven-APs' needed help? I doubted it. "I'm a little busy."

"Come on." He pouted, cocking his head to the side. "Be a good samaritan and help a guy in need."

I rolled my eyes. "About fifty other people take that class. Why don't you ask one of them? I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help you out."

My mind strayed to the redhead Vict-whore-ia. She was in that class, too. She'd jump at the chance to work with Cullen even if she didn't know anything about the course material. The image of them studying together caused my stomach to churn uncomfortably.

_What the hell was happening to me?_

Cullen simply smirked. "We both know that none of them are as smart as you."

"Actually we don't know that."

"Swan, are you going to make me beg?" He backed up a little and shot me an amused look.

I simply crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay." He shrugged and before I knew it, he bent down on one knee.

My eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets. "Are you crazy?" I hissed, glancing around at the passersby who were furtively glancing at us. I grabbed his shoulders and tried to heave him up. "Get up!"

"Tell me you'll study with me." He said loudly, causing several people to stare at us.

"Okay, okay! Just get up, please!" I begged. My cheeks were flaming and my heart was thumping loudly in my chest at all the sudden attention.

He smirked and got up, his eyes never leaving mine. "Why don't we head on over to the library, then?"

I glared at him. "I hate you." I pushed past him, trying my best to ignore the spicy scent of cinnamon that flooded my nose as I did.

He simply chuckled and followed me as we walked in silence to the library. I didn't miss the way he kept brushing up against my shoulder. The cool summer-turning-autumn air was the only thing about the walk that distracted me from the annoyance that was bubbling up in me like boiling water.

As we entered the library building, I saw Cullen looking around with furrowed brows. "Never been here before?" I smirked.

"No." He shook his head. He glanced over at me. "I'm a freshman too, you know?"

My brows rose. I distinctly remembered Wikipedia saying that he was nineteen. Maybe it had faulty information. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen." He said simply.

I frowned. That meant that he was a year older than any other freshman I'd met. But before I could ask him about it, he strode quickly towards the soundproof booths next to the library entrance. He glanced back at me.

"Is this okay? We'll have some privacy."

"Um, yeah."

I wasn't quite sure why we needed privacy. But from peer-tutoring in high school, I knew how secretive people could be about this kind of stuff, so I let it go.

He opened the door for me and gestured for me to go first with a wide grin. "Ladies first."

I rolled my eyes. "You're enjoying this way too much." I muttered as I passed him and took a seat at the table in the middle of the room. I placed my bag on the floor and rummaged through it, searching for my notebook.

I stiffened when I heard the click of a lock. My eyes whipped up to Cullen.

No matter how hard I tried to push the past back to where it belonged, I couldn't stop the overwhelming emotions of fear that welled up in me.

Cullen, oblivious to my inner turmoil, simply rolled his eyes. "Calm down, Swan. This glass is tinted, so no one will know if we're in here. I did it so people don't come barging in on us."

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. We're only studying. Unlock it."

"Swan-"

"Just unlock it, okay? Please?"

Cullen stared at me as I took a deep breath to calm myself down. He slowly unlocked the door and walked over to take the seat next to me, never taking his eyes off of me.

I cleared my throat and quickly flipped through the pages in my notebook, looking at my notes to see if they needed any clarification. I frowned when I saw several disjointed words on the last page. I groaned when I realized that Cullen's constant whispering had disrupted my note-taking.

"You see what you've done?" I snapped at him.

He shot me a bemused look. "What?"

"You talk to me constantly in class and now I can't understand my own notes."

He looked over at my notes and let out a loud laugh.

"Yeah, it's funny to you." I grumbled, reaching down to grab my textbook. I hoped I would be able to find the meaning of my monosyllabic notes.

"You wrote 'ester'. You were probably talking about the ester bonds between a glycerol and a fatty acid."

I paused and glanced up at him. He was staring at my notes, his brows furrowed slightly.

He took a deep breath and continued, his voice having taken on a strangely monotonic tone. "When glycerol bonds with a fatty acid, an ester bond is formed and water is released. The occurrence of three separate condensation reactions forms a triglyceride."

I straightened up, staring at him. "How did you…? I mean…you don't even pay attention in class. You don't take notes."

He exhaled slowly and pulled away. He stared intently at his hands that had clenched in to fists on the table. "I have an eidetic memory." He said suddenly, glancing over at me.

"A what?" I asked, confused.

"It's a photographic memory." He explained. "People that have it can memorize things with a single experience. What kind of experience that is varies, but for me, I memorize things I hear. That's why I don't take notes. Writing it down and hearing it is kind of a sensory overload."

I stared at him with wide eyes. He had a photographic memory. He'd memorized Banner's lecture.

I had to keep a tally to see how many times he could stun me in one day.

**AN: So…a photographic memory. What do you think Bella will think of this? And why is Edward nineteen and a freshman?**

**Thank you to all of you reviewers! You make my day/year/life. The response to this story continues to amaze me. **

**Special thanks to Fallingsnow Winter for motivating me when I just wasn't feeling it.**

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**Review, review, review and I'll see you next Saturday!**


	10. Chapter 10: Revaluate The Player

**Chapter 10: Revaluate The Player**

**(Define) Revaluate: Verb. To make a new or revised valuation of.**

_Previously: _

_"It's a photographic memory." He explained. "People that have it can memorize things with a single experience. What kind of experience that is varies, but for me, I memorize things I hear. That's why I don't take notes. Writing it down and hearing it is kind of a sensory overload for me." _

_ I stared at him with wide eyes. He had a photographic memory. He'd memorized Banner's lecture. _

_ I had to keep a tally to see how many times he could stun me in a day._

~•~

I stared at him, my eyes flitting between his startling emerald eyes. He looked surprisingly nonchalant for having revealed something so shocking. He watched me carefully, waiting to see how I'd react to the information he'd just divulged to me.

"So, you…" I struggled to comprehend what he was saying. "You've memorized everything Banner's ever said."

"Unfortunately, yeah." He said dryly.

I shook my head and exhaled. "Do you memorize everything you hear? Word for word?"

He stared at me. "Yes."

"Even when you're not paying attention to it?"

"Yes."

"That's um…that's…"

He smiled wryly. "You're having a hard time believing me, aren't you?"

"It's a lot to take in." I defended.

He chuckled. "Fine. What if I told you that I remembered every single thing you've ever said to me?"

I shot him a disbelieving look.

He grinned. "The first thing you ever said to me was: 'ow', when I pulled your hair. Then you asked if we were five and if I was going to nail you with a spit-wad."

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from chuckling at the memory. I'd been so angry at him that first class. I was anxious about someone as attractive as him interacting with me. And I didn't like that he was the teacher's pet without even trying. I was just so used to being the teacher's favorite.

I shook my head. "I can't believe you remember all of that."

"I can go on." He leaned in closer to me. "I remember every single thing you've said. For some reason, the things you say stick in my head even better than everything else."

I raised an eyebrow at him as slid his arm across the back of my chair. I cleared my throat and forced myself to look away from his eyes.

"Well, since we now have the aid of your memory, maybe you can help me decipher these notes, because I don't underst-"

I let out a startled noise as his lips suddenly pressed against mine. Once again, I was frozen.

I couldn't gather up the will-power to push him away. Taking advantage of my shock, he curled his hand around my shoulder and pulled me closer until my arm was pressed up against his muscled chest.

He never deepened it. It was just lips against lips and somehow, that sent shockwaves coursing through my body.

_You're letting him get to you, Bella!_

I exhaled hard and quickly pushed him away before he could push his tongue in to my mouth. "I can't believe you did that again!" I said angrily. I wiped my mouth on the back of my sleeve. "I didn't want to bring up the last time because I thought we could leave it in the past."

"Why would I want to leave something like that in the past?" He furrowed his brows, looking amused.

I sighed and shook my head. "Look, you can't kiss me like that anymore."

"Why not?" He grinned.

"Because-because it's…" I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Because I don't like it."

He laughed outright at that. "Don't even try that card. I know you like it when I kiss you." His eyes darkened slightly as they trailed to my lips.

I felt my defenses rise. "You don't know that. You couldn't possibly know that."

He smiled. "Swan, I'm pretty good at reading people. And I'm fucking excellent at reading girls that I kiss. Wide eyes, dilated pupils, faster breathing; the signs are all there, sweetheart."

I gaped at him. Wow. Just wow. "Careful Cullen, be modest like that and people might think you're a pushover."

He chuckled loudly like I'd told him the funniest joke he'd heard all day. "You're really something, aren't you?" He asked with a wide grin.

"Are you sick?" I demanded.

"What?"

"Are you sick?" I repeated slowly. "Are you experiencing some guy form of PMS? That night at the fountain, you looked furious at me, and now you're joking around with me like we're childhood buddies. Seriously, do you need help?"

He let out a short laugh and shook his head. "Look, that night was messed up. I'll admit, I didn't expect you to say 'no' to me. I thought I'd get you there, fuck you, and be done with it." He said honestly. "When you started judging me, I got defensive. I didn't want to want you after you insulted me like that. Can you honestly tell me that you weren't the least bit prejudiced?" He glanced over at me.

"Well, you deserved it. I mean, you were a complete asshole after that." I reminded him.

"I was." He agreed. His eyes darkened. "Then the next class, you got that prick Newton to sit with you."

"He is not a prick!" I defended him. He was a little bit overeager, but he was harmless.

"He is a prick." Cullen immediately disagreed with a scowl. "You just don't see it. You don't see the way he's fucking eyeing you like you're something to eat at every chance he gets."

His assessment of Newton amused me a little.

"Isn't that the way half the female population stare at you?" I pointed out with a small smile.

He grinned. "Three-fourths, actually."

I snorted.

He chuckled. "Anyway, that's different. Half of them can't even approach me. Newton, though," He shook his head. "He's always hanging around you like a goddamned puppy."

"Puppies are cute." I observed casually.

He glared at me. "A fucking puppy can't take care of you. You need a man."

"I '_need_' a man? Hey tell me something, are you getting a draft in that caveman outfit?"

"Don't go all feminist on me."

"Sorry, Tarzan."

"You can't seriously be in to Newton." He narrowed his eyes at me. "The guy's a complete tool. He doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as you."

"And you do?"

"No, but at least I know how to give a woman what she needs." He stared at me, his green eyes darkening in intensity when he caught my gaze. He held it, refusing to let my eyes go.

As hazy as my thoughts were at the moment, this time when he leaned in, I was prepared. I quickly turned my head so that his lips got my cheek, instead.

"Why do you keep doing that?" I demanded angrily, shoving him away.

He shot me an incredulous look. "Is that seriously a question?"

I sighed frustratedly. "Just stop. Okay?" My skin was still tingling and my heart was racing so fast, I placed my palm against my chest as though to keep it from pounding out of my body. "This is harassment."

He chuckled and shook his head, his hair falling in his eye. "It's only harassment if you don't like it. And let's face it," He cocked his head to the side. "You like it."

I grit my teeth at his overconfidence. "You don't even need me here. You have the whole lecture memorized. You lied and told me that you need help."

"Hey, just because I have it memorized doesn't mean I understand it." He defended.

"Do you need help understanding it?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Not really." He admitted. "But come on," He grabbed my hand hastily as I made to get up. "You can't say that you haven't had at least a little bit of fun."

Damn him. He was right. Despite him assaulting me every other second, I'd had fun.

It killed me to admit, but Cullen wasn't awful company. When he wasn't kissing me - and even when he was, if I was being completely honest - he was actually a genuinely fun person to be around. Even if half the time was spent with me insulting him.

But the downside was, a lot of the flaws I'd alleged him to have in my head were being written off by his explanations. My 'con' list was getting dangerously short and I wasn't sure how much longer I could stay in his presence before I had no reason not to go out with him.

He frowned and cocked his head to the side when I remained silent. "Why do you refuse to go out with me?" He asked curiously.

I closed my eyes. "Look, you don't have to pretend to be someone you're not." I opened my eyes and shot him a meaningful look. "I know you're a player, okay?"

His eyes darkened. "You're judging me again."

I scoffed. "When's the last time you dated a girl?"

He stayed silent, watching me carefully. "Why does that matter?"

"Why are you chasing _me_?" I asked, my voice coming out more desperate than I'd intended.

My curiosity got the better of me. I knew that I wasn't anything special. I certainly wasn't special enough to get a player like Edward Cullen to change his ways. I'd seen the way every woman he came across looked at him. He could have anyone.

"I like spending time with you." He said honestly, tugging my hand so that I sat back down fully.

"What, you like me constantly rejecting and insulting you?"

He took a deep breath. "Look, I find you refreshing. You're different."

"That's got to be the most worn out line ever."

His eyes narrowed. "Why can't you just accept that I like you?" Before I could respond, he continued aggressively. "You can get off your high horse, alright? I'm not proposing we fucking elope or some shit. All I'm asking for is one date."

I tugged my hand away from his and glared. "Is this how you plan on winning me over?"

He stared at me for a second with his mouth agape. He exhaled hard and shook his head. "You're so fucking frustrating!" He chuckled.

I leaned in to him. "Then. Leave." I said firmly. "I've told you before: if you find me so frustrating and insane, stop talking to me. I'm not an easy person to deal with, okay? I have my quirks and I'm really messed up. Being with me will be annoying, and frustrating, and you'll probably want to rip your hair out at the end of it. If you're halfway sane, you'll run for the hills."

I breathed heavily as I finished my rant. My heart had sunk as I uttered every word, but I knew it had to be said. I definitely wasn't willing to go out with him, but I knew that one way or another, Cullen and I would be spending a lot of time together. He deserved to know what he was getting in to.

I wasn't like his bimbos and casual one-night stands. I came with baggage. A lot of messed up baggage that most people couldn't even think about handling. I wasn't trusting and I wasn't all nice and neat. I didn't want him to try to go out with me just because I lashed out at him every once in a while.

Cullen simply smirked at me. "Never once has a girl I've been with come with a disclaimer. But in case you haven't noticed, I'm not the easiest guy to deal with either. I'm fucked up. I would tell you that you should be running for the hills, too, but you've already tried to do that. I wouldn't let you." He chuckled and I rolled my eyes in agreement. "Look, I've already told you: civil's boring. I want something else. I don't know exactly what that is, but I've never found it in anyone before you. So I want you."

I swallowed, noticing that his eyes had gone dangerously dark again. I would never admit it out loud but when Cullen was dead-serious like he was now, he could be pretty damn intimidating. On the other hand, his words had my heart fluttering like a freed bird.

There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that putting Cullen and I together was like jumping off of a cliff with a ripped parachute, but something about it just kept me coming back.

"You're very possessive, aren't you?" I observed, sliding a little away from him as he leaned forward.

"Apparently." He said, his voice low. His eyes flickered between mine. "It's a trait I didn't know I had until I saw you with Newton."

I cleared my throat, leaning even further back in my chair to try to keep some distance between him and I. "Well, um…I don't like him like that. So, you shouldn't be. Possessive, I mean."

_Good. Ramble like an idiot._

The corners of his mouth tilted up slightly at my admission. "So all that defending him before was just to rile me up?"

I cracked a smile at that. "You're a pretty easy target. He is a good guy, though. You shouldn't talk about him like that."

"He shouldn't look at you the way he does." Cullen countered, finally pulling away. "So, are you going to stop protesting about spending time with me?"

"Maybe."

"Will you go out with me?"

"No."

**AN: What do you think of Edward's possessiveness? Is it hot or just overbearing?**

**HtTaP was rec'd on A Different Forest! So, welcome to all of you new readers! Hope you enjoy the ride. :)**

**Summer's here! Is anyone else as excited as I am? I might be persuaded to update twice a week, now that I have more time. *****hint hint***** ;)**

**Thankyouthankyou for all your lovely reviews. They really do make my day/year/life. **

**Endless love to Fallingsnow Winter who kicks my ass when I can't find motivation to write and makes my words pretty. She's lovely.**

**Follow me on Twitter: mystiquejewled and Facebook: Mystique Jewled**

**Review, review, review and I'll see you next Saturday!**


	11. Chapter 11: Notice The Player

**Chapter 11: Notice The Player**

**(Define) Notice: Verb. To perceive or become aware of.**

_Pressure pushing down on me, pushing down on you no man ask for._

My eyes shot open against the darkness of the room at the sound of my ringtone. My hand flung out to grapple for my cellphone that was lying on the bedside table.

I shot a bitter look at the clock that flashed _1:32_ _a.m. _in bright, neon letters. The only reason I was even bothering to pick up the phone was because I recognized the ringtone that Rosalie had set for herself.

She better have a damn good reason for calling me this late in the night. Or morning.

"He-hello?" I cleared my throat as I answered the phone.

What answered me wasn't the usual crisp voice of Rosalie. An unintelligible sound filled the line. There was loud, blaring music and drunk shouts in the background.

I heard a groan and glanced over at Alice who turned and buried her face in her pillow. Sighing, I slipped on a sweatshirt and sneakers. I grabbed a hairband and hurried out in to the hallway, closing the door quietly behind me.

"Rose? Hello?" I whisper-yelled in to the phone as I stumbled across the hallway and down the stairs.

The same indecipherable sounds answered me and I sighed. I pushed open the door and stepped out in to the brisk, morning air, hoping I'd get better reception outside.

I frowned as the voices on the line stayed the same. I gripped the phone between my ear and my shoulder as I tied my hair. "Rose, it's one in the morning. I have an early class tomorrow. If this is a joke…" I paused, waiting for a reply. "Okay, I'm hanging up."

Before I could find the button, a barely-there voice filled the line. _"Bella?"_ Rosalie croaked. Her voice was almost unrecognizable. It was timid and broken, a far-cry from the assertive Rosalie I was used to.

It made the hair on the back of my neck stand. "Rosalie?" I gripped my phone tightly. "What's wrong? Where are you? I can barely hear you."

I heard her clear her throat and sniff. _"Oh, I'm sorry. One second."_ There was a bit of shuffling on the phone and the background noises gradually got quieter. _"Can you hear me now?"_

"Yeah, where are you?"

_"I'm at a club."_

My heart gave a loud thump in my chest as though it could sense what was about to happen. "You hate clubs."

She let out a bitter laugh. _"I know."_

I waited for her to continue but she never did. Muffled sobs and the sound of a tissue being ripped filled the line. The thumps in my heart grew louder. I could only pray that those sobs weren't Rosalie's. "Rosalie, what's going on?"

A blatant cry filled the line and I knew that my prayers were for naught. It was a foreign sound. I had never - not once in my life - heard my sister cry. It was so strange, so frightening that tears sprung to my own eyes. I closed my eyes tightly to keep them in.

_"Bella, I-I'm…Oh God, you-"_ She hiccoughed slightly and took a deep breath. _"You have to promise not to hate me."_

None of what she was saying made sense. The logical part of my brain was trying to work out the possibilities but nothing stuck. "Rosalie, I could never hate you." I said frankly.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. I could almost see her nodding. _"I'm pregnant."_

My grip on my phone fell slack.

Silence filled both the line and the air around me. It was as though the wind and the leaves heard her pronouncement as loudly as I did; as though they were expressing their shock for me. I stared straight ahead at the moon that looked surprisingly close to the ground. My shoulders that had bunched together now fell to my sides as though gravity had won the battle.

_"Say something."_ Rosalie begged.

Large, black spots filled the corners of my eyes. The spots slowly made their way forward until they were taking over the white light from the moon. I couldn't even feel the way my knees gave out or hear the sound of my phone clattering to the ground.

One minute, I was enjoying the feel of the crisp, morning breeze and the next, my cheek was pressed against the cobblestones I walked on every day.

~•~

_"Bella, come sit down, honey."_ _My mother's face was void of her usual sweet smile. In its place was a fake, forced one. Her brown hair, so similar to mine, was lying limp against her shoulders as she sat at the dining table._

_ I walked up to her, fully aware of my father sitting in the chair beside her with his head in his hands. My eyes instinctively wandered down to my mother's stomach. I frowned when I noticed that the clear bump that had been there just last night, was gone._

_ "Mommy, where's your bump?" I asked innocently, placing my hands against her now flatter stomach. _

_ My dad stiffened and my mom swallowed. "Mommy's bump's gone now, sweetheart." She said as steadily as she could. _

_ "Is it coming back?"_

_ "No, it's not coming back!" My dad snarled, shoving away from the table and glaring at me in a way he never had before._

_ "Charlie!" Mom admonished, with a heated glare of her own._

_ Eyes wide, I flinched away from him and buried my face in my mom's stomach. One of her hands came up to smooth my long hair down my back. "I'm sorry, Bella. The bump's not coming back." Her voice was choked. "But you're still getting a sister."_

_ I pulled away from her slightly so that I could look up at her. "How?" I frowned curiously._

_ She sighed and shook her head, not knowing what to say. "Bella-"_

_ "You're getting one because I fucked up!" My dad laughed hysterically, his hand slamming down on the table. "Isn't that great, Bella?"_

_ "Charlie, don't swear in front of-"_

_ "Why not?" He shouted. "Everything's out now, isn't it? I fucked some bitch ten years ago without protection and now I'm paying for it."_

_ "Charlie, stop it!" My mom cried, tugging me closer to her as I stared wide-eyed at my once-loving father._

_ He was on a roll though, and didn't plan on stopping. "If we didn't go to the fucking hospital yesterday, if that bitch hadn't gotten knocked up by another fucker and been there, we wouldn't be in this goddamn position. We wouldn't need to take in that bitch's pup."_

_ "That _'pup' _is your daughter, too, Charlie." My mom stated, her eyes shooting daggers at the man she'd married. "If she can't raise her, we will."_

_ My dad stared at her incredulously. "How are you so fucking calm about this? I don't want her child, I want our child! I want the child we were about to have!"_

_ Tears sprung to my mother's eyes. "Well, you can't have that child. I'm sorry I messed up, okay? I'm sorry I miscarried. But right now, we're all you've got. You might as well be happy for what you have. And if you can't be then we'll gladly leave until you are." With that, she grabbed my hand and made to walk out the door._

_ My dad grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him before she could. "No! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You're right, I didn't mean any of that. I am happy with you. I just…it's a lot to take in, Renée. But I don't ever want you leaving. I'll go crazy, I swear. Don't leave." _

_ "I won't." She replied softly, hugging him with the hand that wasn't grasping mine. _

_ My dad glanced down at me over her shoulder. The warmth was missing. The love was missing. I knew that nothing would ever be the same._

~•~

Pain filled the side of my head that was in contact with the ground the same time I heard a strong, familiar, distinctly masculine voice.

"Swan? _Shit!_" Panic was clear in the voice that I vaguely recognized as Cullen's. I felt large hands gently turn me at the waist so that I was lying on my back. I heard a sharp intake of breath. "Fuck." He breathed.

I pushed against the weight of my eyelids, opening my eyes as far as I could. It was still dark so I couldn't tell how long I'd been out. "Cullen?" I croaked out, my eyes immediately flickering to his unforgettable, green eyes.

His eyes snapped to mine and softened. "Hey, it's alright. I'm going to take care of you." The calloused hand that settled on my cheek was strangely comforting. Feeling uncomfortably vulnerable, I tried to push myself up on my elbows. Cullen immediately pushed me back down. "Take it easy, Swan."

"I have to-I've got to-my dorm-" I blabbered, my eyes already starting to close again.

I felt one of his arms slip under my legs while the other cradled my shoulders as he hauled me up bridal style. "Don't worry. Just close your eyes, you're going to be fine." He soothed as he strode smoothly down the corridor and away from my dorm.

He'd make a great nurse.

Picturing him in a frilly frock and a nurse's cap made me giggle. He glanced down at me with a slightly amused look. "A little concussed, are we?"

"Nope." I trailed my index finger down the line between what felt like plates of armor. The still-sane part of my brain registered that it was just his pectoral muscles. I heard him exhale sharply at my touch and smiled goofily.

_I _was making him feel good. Little Bella Swan.

I glanced around to see that he was leading me towards a parking lot. He walked towards a sleek, fancy-looking black car in one of the spots. When we got there, he plopped me on the hood while he dug the keys out of his pocket. I swayed slightly, not quite adjusted yet to supporting my own weight.

"Woah." He quickly reached out and grabbed me before I fell across the hood like some swooning princess.

I giggled as he opened the door to the backseat and swung me up in his arms again. "You're so handsome." I told him.

He paused and grinned crookedly at me. "Tell me that after you get over this concussion."

"Okay." I agreed, yawning slightly. He gently slid me across the backseat, leaning over to yank a seatbelt over my torso.

"Don't want you rolling off while I'm driving." He explained when he was done, supporting himself with his hands on either side of me.

"Okay." I said again. Staring at his green-eyes, I once again questioned what this ridiculously attractive man found in me.

Leaning up, I kissed his stubbled cheek. His brows rose at the action as I fell back against the seat. The corner of his lips tilted upwards. He chuckled and shook his head as he pulled back.

I pulled my legs up as he shut the door and walked over to the driver's seat. I wanted to keep staring at him and his God-like perfection, but black spots filled my vision again before I could.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed that chapter. What do you think of that bit of Bella's past? Could it hurt Bella and Edward's relationship?**

**Thank you for all of your lovely reviews! They make my day/year/life.**

**Because of the great response for the last chapter, I've decided that I will be updating twice-a-week starting next Saturday (just so that I can catch my breath and get caught up).**

**Special shout-out to BelleBiter who introduced me to her campfire over at A Different Forest where I now post teasers every Monday! Go check it out – there are a lot of great stories that post little snippets of the coming chapter there.**

**Fallingsnow Winter makes this pretty!**

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